Charles W. Morgan

Type

Whaler

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: The Charles W. Morgan is the last surviving wooden whaling ship of the roughly 2,700 built in the American whaling fleet, and is the world's oldest surviving merchant vessel after USS Constitution. Built in 1841 at the Hillman Brothers shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she is now a museum ship and National Historic Landmark at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. Specifications: The ship measures about 113 feet length on deck with a 27.5-foot beam and a depth of roughly 17 feet, and was registered at 351.3 old tons (313.8 new tons). She originally carried a full ship rig but was converted to a double-topsail bark rig with about 13,000 square feet of sail after the Civil War; a typical whaling crew numbered around 35 men. Service History: Over an 80-year career the Morgan completed 37 whaling voyages, most lasting three years or more, hunting sperm and other whales around the globe including trips around Cape Horn into the Pacific. Her whaling career ended in 1921, after which she was preserved at Col. Edward H.R. Green's Round Hill estate before being acquired by the Marine Historical Association (Mystic Seaport) in 1941. Notable Facts: Following a major five-year restoration completed in 2013, the Morgan was relaunched and in 2014 sailed a symbolic "38th Voyage" to historic New England ports, marking the first time she had sailed under her own power in nearly a century. She also had a brief film career in the early 20th century, appearing in silent movies such as Down to the Sea in Ships, and was honored with a U.S. postage stamp in 1971.