Built at Hillman Bros. Shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1841, the Charles W. Morgan is the oldest merchant ship afloat and the last surviving American wooden whaleship. When launched, it was one of more than 600 American ships hunting whales to supply oil for lubrication and illumination. Named for whaling merchant Charles W. Morgan, the vessel made 37 voyages during an 80-year whaling career, primarily in the Pacific Ocean, often spending three to five years on each voyage, with shorter voyages between 1887 and 1904 when it was berthed in San Francisco. About seventy whales were killed during its first voyage, filling the hold with 2,400 barrels of oil. Crews of 30 to 36 men sailed the ship, rowed the six-man whaleboats used to hunt and kill whales, and rendered oil from blubber in a brick tryworks on deck. These crews were among the most diverse at sea, including Americans, Europeans, West Indians, Azoreans, Cape Verdeans, Alaskan Inuit, South Pacific Islanders, and Asians, and each crewmember received a share of the profits based on experience, skill, and position aboard. After retiring in 1921, the ship was preserved as an exhibit near New Bedford before being brought to Mystic Seaport in 1941. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1966, it has been exhibited afloat there since 1973. Its most recent restoration, from 2008 to 2013, focused on the hull below the waterline. In summer 2014, the Charles W. Morgan made a ceremonial 38th voyage around coastal New England, sailing for the first time in more than 90 years. More than 64,000 people toured the ship during visits to New London, Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, Provincetown, Boston, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and it also sailed into the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary among humpback, fin, and minke whales. During these transits, museum staff, a professional crew, and outside researchers learned as much as they could about operating the ship under sail.
