Working Waterfront

During the heyday of whaling, New Bedford’s waterfront was a busy port where ship carpenters built vessels from white oak timbers, caulkers hammered oakum mixed with tar into seams, coopers shaped staves for casks to hold whale oil, and packers filled barrels with hard tack for whalemen at sea. The wharves were crowded with sail riggers working over decks and masts, tarring lines and fastening sails, while ship painters worked on vessels afloat and dry-docked for repair and specialized craftsmen repaired tryworks where blubber was melted into oil. Extensive labor and preparation were required for safe and successful voyages, and coopers made casks for many purposes, with each whaling vessel carrying a cooper onboard and supplies for making additional casks at sea to store whale oil. Ship carpenters overhauled every whaler that returned to port, and a typical New Bedford whaler made six voyages in its lifetime, with each voyage usually lasting two to four years. The wharves on both sides of the river were lined with mechanics fitting ships for long voyages to distant seas, examining hulls, strengthening weak spots, rigging spars, overhauling sails, and installing new bolts.

Fairhaven, Massachusetts · United States