Description

Fully rigged model of the whaleship Charles W. Morgan. The hull has a wide, bluff bow, flat sheer, and square stern, all typical of antebellum whaling and cargo ships. Five solid wood whaleboats are on davits around the sides of the ship, with two more upside down on deck. The model is bark rigged, with square sails on the fore and main masts and a gaff spanker on the mizzen.

The Charles W. Morgan was built in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1841. The ship was actively employed in whaling until 1921, sailing on multi-year voyages around the world hunting whales and rendering their blubber into whale oil for lighting and industrial lubrication. The Charles W. Morgan is now preserved at Mystic Seaport Museum.