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Charles W. Morgan
was built in 1841 at the Hillman Brothers’ Shipyard on the Acushnet
River in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She cost $52,000 and was registered at 351 tons,
106’ 6” x 27’2-1/2” x 13’ 7-1/2”.
Her primary owner was
Charles Waln Morgan
, a Philadelphia-born Quaker. The first of
Morgan’s
37 successful worldwide expeditions began on September 6, 1841. During her 80
years of service, she caught and processed more whales than any other whaler in history. Her
active days ended in 1921 with the decline of whale oil prices. From 1925 to 1941, she was on
display and struggling to survive at Round Hill, Massachusetts.
Morgan
was purchased for
Mystic Seaport Museum (Mystic, Connecticut) in 1941, restored, and is berthed there as a
monument to the men who built and sailed her.
Morgan was originally ship rigged. However, shortly after the Civil War, her rig was reduced
to a double topsail bark.
Refer to the bibliography for an in-depth history of the whaling industry and more details on
Charles W. Morgan
.
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