Whaling

For Whaling Captains, Diversity Flourished

Men of color were full participants in the whaling industry, a business so difficult and dangerous that most people only went out once.

Vineyard Bookshelf: Whaling on Martha's Vineyard

It’s a testament to Tom Dresser’s storytelling gifts that a subject as big as whaling on the Vineyard can be told so well in only 150 pages.

Black Whaling Captains Found Liberty at Sea

Of the 2,500 masters who captained whaling ships during three centuries of whaling, at least 63 were men of color, five with Martha’s Vineyard ties, Skip Finley told a rapt audience Wednesday night.

Connecting the Vineyard to the Arctic, Whaling Family Tree Is Familiar

Next week Alaskans and New Englanders will gather for a conference about whaling in the Arctic, with events in New Bedford, Nantucket, and on the Vineyard.

Museum Exhibit Explores Whaling Era's Forgotten Figures

New exhibit at Martha’s Vineyard Museum explores the characters and figures from the heyday of Island whaling that often go unnoticed.

Black Whaling Captains Led the Way

Nathaniel Philbrick’s book In the Heart of the Sea, on which the movie is based, tells a tale of horror.

Thar She Costs; Whaling History Preservation Is on Town Agenda

When Edgartown voters gather next week for their annual town meeting, preserving town history will be among the items on the agenda.

Legends Are Not Just History, They Continue to Speak Loudly

The following is an award-winning essay written by Womsikuk James for the Young Native Writer’s Essay Contest.

Charles W. Morgan Whaleship Brings History to Life

Nearly 173 years after she first set sail, the Charles W. Morgan has survived to earn a new distinction. She is the last surviving whaling ship and this spring she sets sail once again.

A Sea of Good Will Helps Harpoon History

Last weekend the Charles W. Morgan was relaunched on her 172nd birthday after a major rebuild; much of her remains original including the keelson. The live oak in her massive double sawn frames was salvaged after a southern U.S. hurricane, and she has been rebuilt absolutely true to her original design and methods of construction. She was originally launched from the Hillman Shipyard in New Bedford (the Hillman family came from Chilmark) on July 21, 1841, and sailed on 37 voyages with the last voyage in 1921.

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