Charles W. Morgan Book

by John F. Leavitt

"Out of print for several years, Mystic Seaport's illustrated history of its most significant vessel has been revised and redesigned. This new edition augments John F. Leavitt's text and illustrations with more than 80 photos, most of which document the Morgan's crew at work on the whaling grounds, along with 20 drawings, 10 of them studies of the vessel's structural details by Kathy Bray. There are also five 8"" x 16"" pullout plans bound into the book for reference by modelmakers - sail and rigging plan, deck and bulwark plan with details of gear, construction plan, plan of square sails and their rigging, and a cutaway view by Roger Hambidge, museum shipwright, who also contributed an Afterword that discusses the Morgan's refloating and restoration between 1973 and 1990."

Genres: History

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although listed as a hard cover I have a soft cover version with this cover versus the edition which is listed as a soft cover. There are only 84 pages of text out of the total of 131. However, the amount of detail provided is amazing despite the fact that there are more than 40 photographs, some full page, included. Following the text portion there are five appendices including:
- an extensive listing of the crew members on each of the ship’s 37 voyages;
- a listing of 47 known log books;
- a summary of the 37 voyages giving the date and port sailed from, the master, the date and port the ship returned to, and the value of the cargo;
- a glossary; and
- an index.

Highly readable and extraordinarily informative for such a small book.

[Jus · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Charles W. Morgan” by John F. Leavitt, 1973. (Hardback). This is another edition version of the one I have read, but doesn’t have the detailed scales drawings. This version includes the logbooks, glossary, summary of 37 voyages, crew lists etc.

The Charles W. Morgan is the only wooden whaleship surviving from the “golden era of American whaling”. Formally designated a National Historic Landmark on 21 July 1967, she is the star attraction of Mystic Seaport’s ships and boats.

Quoting John Leavitt, “she is one of the few tangible reminders of a vanished era when men risked their lives and fortunes at sea to build a fortune for themselves and their children.”

Cover painting: The Charles W. Morgan by John F. Leavitt, a marine artist.

[Patrick Scully · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took this book off the shelf at grandmother’s and couldn’t put it down. The history of the ship is incredible, I had no idea the incredible distances the ship would travel during whaling trips.