Charles W. Morgan

A full-rigged whaling ship built in 1841 of live-oak by Jethro & Zachariah Hillman, Fairhaven, MA. Her dimensions are 32,19×8,44×5,33(d) meters [105'6×27'7×17'5(d)] and tonnage 313 GRT and 296 NRT.

1841 July 21: Launched at the shipyard of Jethro & Zachariah Hillman, Fairhaven, MA, for Captain Charles W. Morgan, New Bedford, MA.
1849: Sold to Edward M. Robinson & Co., New Bedford, MA.
1863: 5/32ths shares were sold to J. & W.R. Wing, New Bedford, MA, who became the managing owners.
1867: Reduced to barque rig. Re-measured to register 313,75 tons.
1916: 60/64ths were sold to Captain Benjamin D. Cleveland et al., for $6000.
1918: Captain Benjamin D. Cleveland sold his 24 shares to John A. Cook, Provincetown, MA. Captain Joseph F. Edwards was given command of the ship.
1920: Captain John Gonsalves replaced Captain Edwards who had been taken ill.
1921 May 28: Returned from the 37th and last whaling voayge with a cargo of 2702 barrels of whale oil at a total value of $25.533,90.
1925: Repaired and re-rigged and placed in a berth at Round Hills, Massachusetts.
1941: Acquired by the Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT.

Select Bibliography:

Cutler, Carl C.: The Last Whale Ship Charles W. Morgan.
The American Neptune Vol. 1 (1941), pp 391-392.
Leavitt, John F.: Charles W. Morgan.
Mystic Seaport, Mystic, 1973. 8vo, xvi, 133 pp, ill.

Updated 1999-07-28 by Lars Bruzelius

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