Charles W. Morgan (ship) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Charles W. Morgan

Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
History
United States
Owner	Charles Waln Morgan, 1841– J. & W. R. Wing Company, c.1863 – c.1912 Col. E H R Green, c.1925–1941 Whaling Enshrined, Inc., 1941 Mystic Seaport, 1941–
Builder	Jethro and Zachariah Hillman, New Bedford, Massachusetts
Launched	1841
Identification	MMSI number: 367608930 Call sign: WDH3594
Status	Museum ship
General characteristics
Tonnage	351.3 (Old Tons); 313.8 (New Tons)
Length	113 ft (34 m) LOA
Beam	27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Depth	17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
Sail plan	Double-topsail bark rig; 13,000 sq ft (1,200 m2) of sail
Charles W. Morgan
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Mystic, Connecticut
Built	1841
Part of	Mystic Bridge Historic District (ID79002671)
NRHP reference No.	66000804
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	13 November 1966
Designated NHL	13 November 1966
Designated CP	August 31, 1979

The Charles W. Morgan is a famous American whaling ship built way back in 1841. For many years, ships like this were used to hunt whales. They would collect whale blubber to make whale oil, which was a common fuel for lamps.

Since the 1940s, the Charles W. Morgan has been a special museum ship. You can visit her at the Mystic Seaport museum in Mystic, Connecticut. She is the oldest surviving merchant ship in the world that isn't a wreck. She is also the only wooden whaling ship left from the 1800s American fleet, which once had 2,700 ships! Because she is so important, the Morgan was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

Building the Morgan

The Charles W. Morgan was named after her owner, Charles Waln Morgan. He was born in Philadelphia but moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1818. There, he invested in many whaling ships.

Morgan chose the Hillman brothers' shipyard in New Bedford to build his new ship. The Morgan's strong keel, made of live oak, was laid down in February 1841. It was held together with copper bolts. The front and back parts of the ship were also made of live oak. Yellow pine from North Carolina was used for the ship's main beams.

Building the ship wasn't always smooth sailing! On April 19, 1841, the workers went on strike. They wanted a ten-hour workday. The strike spread to other businesses like oil refineries. Charles Morgan helped resolve the issue. An agreement was reached on May 6, with workers accepting a 10½-hour workday.

Work on the ship continued, and she was launched on July 21, 1841. The Morgan was about 106 feet (32 m) long, 27 feet (8.2 m) wide, and 13 feet (4.0 m) deep. She weighed 314 gross tons.

For the next two months, the Morgan was prepared for her first journey. Captain Thomas Norton sailed her into the Atlantic Ocean. They stopped at Faial Island to get supplies. Then, they sailed around Cape Horn and headed north. On December 13, the crew caught their first whale.

The Morgan visited Callao, Peru, and the Galápagos Islands. In 1844, she sailed to the Kodiak Grounds before heading home. She returned to New Bedford on January 2, 1845. This first voyage lasted three years and three months. The crew processed 59 whales, collecting a lot of oil and whale bone.

Life at Sea

The Charles W. Morgan in 2008, looking majestic.

The Charles W. Morgan made 37 voyages during her 80 years of service. Her journeys started from New Bedford, Massachusetts. They lasted anywhere from nine months to five years! She sailed in the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. She even survived tough ice and snow storms.

Over her lifetime, more than 1,000 whalemen worked on the Morgan. They came from many different countries and backgrounds. Sailors from Cape Verde, New Zealand, and the Seychelles were part of her crew. On average, about 33 men were on board for each voyage. Like other whaling ships back then, the captain's family often lived on the ship too.

The Morgan was a very successful ship. Experts say she earned over $1.4 million in her lifetime. Her sixth voyage brought in the most money, with over $165,000 from whale oil and bone.

This famous ship was also featured in several movies! She appeared in Miss Petticoats (1916), Down to the Sea in Ships (1922), and Java Head (1923).

Voyage History

Here's a quick look at some of the Charles W. Morgan's many voyages:

Saving the Morgan

In 1924, the Charles W. Morgan almost burned down! A steamer named Sankaty caught fire and drifted into the Morgan. Luckily, firefighters saved her. This event made people like Harry Neyland want to save and restore the Morgan.

Neyland convinced Colonel Edward Howland Robinson Green to help. Green was told that the Morgan was a family treasure. His grandfather had once co-owned the ship. Green had the ship moved to his estate in Round Hill (Dartmouth, Massachusetts). He also started a group called Whaling Enshrined to protect her.

Captain George Fred Tilton helped restore the Morgan. She became an exhibit at Green's estate. On July 21, 1926, the 86th anniversary of the ship's launch, Green gave the ship to Whaling Enshrined. But when Tilton died in 1932 and Green in 1935, the ship's future was uncertain. A big hurricane in 1938 also damaged the Morgan's hull.

In 1941, the Marine Historical Association (now Mystic Seaport) saved the Morgan. They believed the ship could be moved to Mystic, Connecticut. Workers dug the ship out of her berth and made a channel. After some effort, the old hull was successfully pulled into the channel. The Coast Guard cutter General Greene helped her float into the bay.

On November 5, 1941, the General Greene began towing the Charles W. Morgan. The journey ended on November 8 when she arrived at the Mystic Seaport. The museum grew around the Charles W. Morgan. She became the main attraction, like a king on a throne.

Restoring the Ship

The Charles W. Morgan in dry-dock during restoration in 2010.

The Charles W. Morgan arrived at Mystic Seaport in December 1941. In 1966, she was named a National Historic Landmark. In 1971, artist Melbourne Brindle designed stamps of famous landmarks, including the Morgan.

For her first 30 years at Mystic Seaport, the Morgan sat on a bed of sand. This kept her from sinking. Even so, she was open to visitors. She was the main part of a museum village that looked like a 19th-century seaport. She is the only preserved whaling ship from the 1800s anywhere in the world.

In 1968, Mystic Seaport started a big project to make her able to sail again. The sand bed was removed. Before this restoration, she had a white stripe with black squares painted on her sides. This "camouflage" made her look like a warship from far away. Merchant ships used this trick to scare off pirates!

In 2010, Mystic Seaport began another huge project. They spent millions of dollars to make the ship seaworthy again. She was re-launched into the Mystic River on July 21, 2013. This was exactly 172 years after her first launch! In the summer of 2014, she sailed her 38th voyage. She visited New England seaports like New London, Connecticut, Newport, Rhode Island, Boston, and her old home, New Bedford.

Images for kids

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  1971 U.S. commemorative stamp honoring Charles W. Morgan by Melbourne Brindle