The Charles W. Morgan, the last of an American whaling fleet that numbered more than 2,700 vessels, has spent the summer touring northeastern ports after undergoing a 5-year, $10.6 million restoration to make the 173-year-old ship seaworthy again.
Built and launched in 1841, the 113-foot Morgan is now America’s oldest commercial ship still afloat — only the USS Constitution is older.
For anyone who ever wondered what it’s like to climb to the top of the main mast — her main truck is 110 feet above the deck — you can thank deckhand Cassie Sleeper and the GoPro camera mounted on her head for this video. Those who suffer vertigo might want to sit this one out.
Last weekend, the Morgan was open to the public at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass.
The National Historic Landmark departed Mystic Seaport on May 17 and visited New London, Conn.; Newport, R.I.; Vineyard Haven, Mass.; New Bedford, Mass.; the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary; and Boston, where she tied up next to the USS Constitution.
This was the last major stop on the Morgan’s 38th voyage after an 80-year whaling career. This voyage was undertaken to raise awareness of America’s maritime heritage and to call attention to issues of ocean sustainability and conservation.
The Morgan will now make her way back to Mystic Seaport for an Aug. 9 homecoming celebration.
