The Morgan

Image courtesy of Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT

The most prolific aspect of New England's maritime history is, without a doubt, the whaling industry of the 19th and 20th centuries. Whaling ships were produced mainly in New Bedford throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century. Of the multitude of whalers built throughout America during this era, only one survives today - the Charles W. Morgan. Not only is she the last remaining American wooden whaleship, she is also the oldest-surviving American merchant vessel.
Built at the Hillman Shipyard in New Bedford in 1841, the Charles W. Morgan made an impressive thirty seven trips during her eighty year career. She carried a crew of approximately thirty men on each voyage, as well as the (typically) five whaleboats carried on her davits. Her maiden voyage took place in 1841 and included a voyage around Cape Horn. She was managed by the J. & W. R. Wing Company out of New Bedford. Coincidentally, this past summer, I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who was a direct descendant of William R. Wing - she came to my workplace to learn about our part in Mystic Seaport's restoration of the Morgan (which I will address later in this entry).
Anyone familiar with the history of whaling is sure to know the potential for enormous profit. Oil and baleen were the most desired parts of the whale and were used in everything from lipstick and interior lighting to women's undergarments. During her long career, the Morgan returned some 54,483 barrels of oil and nearly double that number in pounds of baleen - in total, these goods were worth roughly the amount of one million dollars today.
Profit, however, could not dispel the imminent danger of whaling. When whales were spotted, the head officer aboard the ship would determine how many whaleboats were to be sent out. The smaller boats would then be lowered into the water, manned by six men, one of which would harpoon the whale while the others controlled the boat. The well-known "Nantucket sleigh-ride" would then ensue until the whale tired, at which point it would be brought back to the whaleship for processing. Oftentimes the whaleboats and the men aboard them were unsuccessful; tales of whales smashing apart the smaller boats are numerous.
The Charles W. Morgan was retired in the mid-20th century and is currently undergoing an historic restoration project at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. The project is estimated to cost $1.5 million and is slated to be completed in 2014. There are a number of boat shops across the country participating in the Morgan's restoration by building the smaller whaleboats she would traditionally have carried. One of these is Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury, Massachusetts. For information on their part of the project, one should visit http://www.lowellsboatshop.com/whaleboatproject/projhome.html. For information on the overall restoration of the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport, and how you can see her, please visit http://www.mysticseaport.org/.

Sources:

"SUCCESSFUL WHALER RETURNS. - View Article - NYTimes.com." SUCCESSFUL WHALER RETURNS.  NYTimes.com. New York Times, 30 Oct. 1900. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.

"Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea." Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.

Hirshson, G. Warren. The Whale Ship Charles W. Morgan,. New Bedford, MA: Reynolds Print., 1926. Print.

Smuttynose

"Summer Afternoon, Isles of Shoals" by Childe Hassam. 1901.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a gripping fascination with the Isles of Shoals. Of all my childhood memories, the most memorable are the summer outings with my grandparents to the Shoals, which are located some 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. We typically visited Appledore and Star Island, although my attention was always captivated by the mysterious Smuttynose Island. I had often heard the tale of "The Smuttynose Murders;" by the time I was twelve I had fully engrossed myself in Celia Thaxter's A Memorable Murder (which I still read today, although less frequently). I have always been relentless in my interest for Smuttynose - the name itself practically begs Steven King to scribe out a novel based upon it's bizarre history.
Smuttynose is a 25-acre chunk of rocky soil, known to locals and visitors alike as the most abstruse of the collective Isles of Shoals. Today the island remains uninhabited, although in the 18th and 19th centuries it was an important facet of the seacoasts' bustling fishing industry. It was named by passing fishermen, who thought the seaweed around its edges looked something like the "smutty nose" of a mythical sea creature. Perhaps Smuttynose is best known for the three perplexing incidents that have happened upon its shores:
The first is its reputation as the site of Blackbeard's honeymoon. Legend has it that around 1720, Blackbeard and his bride landed at Smuttynose for some matrimonial bliss. This, however, was interrupted when British ships were spotted and the pirate left his new bride and treasure behind. Blackbeard's bride passed away fifteen years later, and island lore maintains that her ghost can be seen lurking around Smuttynose, waiting for her husband to return. 
As for the treasure, Captain Samuel Hayley is supposed to have found four silver bars under a rock some one hundred years later. The finding of this small fortune allowed the Captain to build the breakwater that connects Smuttnose to nearby Malaga Island.
The second tale is of the Sagunto, a Spanish ship that wrecked off of Smuttynose sometime in early 1813. Tradition states that fourteen of the ship's crew are buried somewhere on the island, and that their treasure, (because there has to be treasure), is resting somewhere among the rocky shoals.
The last, and most famous tale, is of the Smuttynose murders. In 1873, two Norwegian women were murdered with a hatchet during the night - a third woman, the only survivor, hid by "Maren's Rock," so named for her, until help arrived. She was able to identify the killer, Louis Wagner, who was later publicly hanged. For those who are interested in the detailed version of this story, I highly recommend reading Celia Thaxter's A Memorable Murder.
Today, Smuttynose Island remains uninhabited. Recent archaeological digs have uncovered evidence of Native American life on the island, dating over 6,000 years. The legends associated with the island continue to be a source of fun and fascination for locals and tourists alike. If the reader is so inclined, the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company offers tours of the Isles of Shoals; one may get a glance of the infamous islet. Information on tours can be found at http://www.islesofshoals.com/

Sources:

Celia Thaxter, Among the Isles of Shoals (Boston: J.R. Osgood and Company, 1873), p. 170-173
"Isles of Shoals: A Capsule History." http://www.seacoastnh.com/shoals/history.html. Accessed electronically. 2/11/13.
Hampton, NH Public Library
"Smuttynose Island Exhibit Reveals Hidden History." http://www.portsmouthhistory.org/news/index.php?q=94. Accessed electronically, 2/11/13.
"Shipwreck on the Shoals." http://www.seacoastnh.com/Arts/Poetry/Shipwreck_on_the_Shoals/. Accessed electronically, 2/11/13.

The Empress of China

"Since the year 1784, the trade here has been constantly tending to the disadvantage of the Europeans. The imports, collectively taken, hardly defray the first cost; and the exports have increased in a ratio beyond all possible conjecture. On an average, at the most moderate computation, the price of every sort of tea, Bohea only accepted, has advanced more than forty per cent, nor is it yet at the highest point. Such is the demand for this article, that the Chinese hardly know how much to ask for it..." 

-Samuel Shaw, The Journals of Major Samuel Shaw: The First American Consul at Canton, 1847, Wm Crosby & H.B. Nichols, Boston.

For some, thinking about the Old China Trade often conjures up romantic images of an exotic East; silks, porcelain, bohea tea and extrinsic paintings. Additionally, and more importantly, we should remember the number of common Americans who were determined, at all costs, to attain the wealth and status they so desired. Yet the economic relationship between the United States and China during the 18th and 19th centuries was much more than that. We often overlook the steadfast vessels that carried the silk, porcelain and tea from Canton, back to the eastern seaboard - their journeys often began and ended in the ports of Salem, Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
The most well-known of all the merchant ships of the Old China Trade is the Empress of China, a fantastic three-masted commercial vessel. The "Chinese Queen" was the first American merchant ship to enter Chinese-controlled waters.
Built in 1783 in Boston, the Empress of China was originally intended as a privateer vessel. Following the signing of the Treaty of Paris, she was modulated into a commercial ship and entered Canton (now Guangzhou) in 1784. She returned stateside with a cargo of tea, nankeen, porcelain and spices. Upon completion of her first voyage, the Empress of China returned a 25% profit. She is credited with opening trade relations between the United States and China, as well as China's Marine Silk Road, but more importantly for giving a fledgling nation the economic boost it desperately needed following the Revolution.

Sources:
"Embassy of the United States." The Empress of China. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2013.
Smith, Philip Chadwick Foster. The Empress of China. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Maritime Museum, 1984.

The Dreadnought

"Wild Boat of the Atlantic"

Photo courtesy of American Clipper Ships by Octavius T. Howe and Frederick C. Matthews

The Dreadnought is quite possibly my favorite vessel of all--she was built in Newburyport, which is practically home to me, and is one of the most prolific wooden boats ever built on the seacoast. 
Built in 1853 by Currier & Townsend, she was the product of a clipper-shipbuilding dynasty in Newburyport, Massachusetts. "She measured 1400 tons register, 200 feet long, 39 feet beam, and 26 depth of hold..."* She was captained by Cpt. Samuel Samuels, who led the packet on all of her transatlantic voyages; The Dreadnought completed some twenty recorded trips from New York to Liverpool*.
Nicknamed the "Wild Boat of the Atlantic," the packet ship Dreadnought operated under the Red Cross Line and made an average 19-day trip from the east coast of the United States to the port of Liverpool in England. She was a cargo ship, carrying raw materials to Europe and returning, typically, with manufactured goods.
On a personal level, my parents occasionally reminisce upon the tales of their former favorite bar in Newburyport--The Dreadnought. Appropriately enough, the bar was accessed by walking through a dry ship. The best part is the barmaid, who my mother recalls as being a surly old Yankee. Allegedly, she took the liberty of giving the patrons whatever she thought they would like to drink, despite what they actually ordered.

Why the Dreadnought is worth mentioning:

1. She is the quintessential example of American ingenuity and motivation in an era when we, as Americans, were still seeking ways to build our nation.
2. This packet-ship was fast. Really, really fast. She was, during her short career, the fastest boat on the Atlantic.
3. The Dreadnought is aesthetically pleasing in her portraits. I can only imagine what she looked like in person.


Who Am I?
I am a student of American History with a throbbing interest in New England's maritime history, particularly that of the boatyards of the Seacoast. I have a penchant for wooden boats, sand and salt.


*The Dreadnought of Newburyport, Massachusetts and Some Account of the Old Transatlantic Packet Ships by Francis B.C. Bradlee. The Essex Institute, Salem, MA, 1920.
*Hampton, NH Public Library