Whaling was associated with the port of New London from its earliest days, but only in the early 1800s did large-scale whaling expand as an alternative to the increasingly unprofitable West Indian trade. From 1820 to 1850, New London prospered as about sixty companies sent out more than 260 vessels on over 1,000 voyages and employed about 3,000 seamen, making whaling central to the city’s economy and daily life. The downtown waterfront was crowded with agents outfitting ships and signing crews, along with barrels of whale and sperm oil, whalebones, and supplies. Many Bank Street buildings were erected during this period for whaling and shipping businesses and families, and New London, together with New Bedford and Nantucket, became internationally known as one of the world’s three great whaling ports. In 1845, New London had the world’s second-largest whaling fleet, with eighty-one ships, barks, brigs, and schooners. Prominent merchants included Joseph Lawrence and his sons Sebastian and Francis. Whaling voyages were hard and often lasted two to three years; the longest recorded from New London was the Nile’s eleven-year voyage, which sailed in May 1858 and returned in April 1869. Whaling wealth also shaped the city’s built environment, including houses on Huntington Street known as Whale Oil Row, middle-class homes on Starr Street, and local landmarks such as the New London Public Library, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Williams Park, and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.