Connecticut Honors Nation’s Oldest Commercial Vessel
The Charles W. Morgan under restoration. Photo Mystic Seaport
Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, State Senator Andrew Maynard (D-Stonington), and other Connecticut state legislators announced they have designated the 2013-14 academic year to be the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” in Connecticut. The designation will afford students across the state a unique opportunity to learn about Connecticut history, the significance of the whaling industry, and the importance of the state’s maritime heritage.
Mystic Seaport is currently restoring the whaleship in the museum’s shipyard in preparation for a voyage to historic ports in New England in 2014. As part of this project, the museum is developing educational resources and programs to be made available to Connecticut schools to use the Morgan as a tool to teach students about the state’s past.
The Charles W. Morgan making her way to Mystic Seaport. November 1941. Photo Mystic Seaport.
Built and launched in New Bedford in 1841, the Charles W. Morgan sailed on 37 voyages covering the entire globe over a whaling career that lasted 80 years. The ship came to Mystic Seaport in 1941 and became the centerpiece of what has become the nation’s leading maritime museum. The Morgan is the oldest American commercial vessel still in existence and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967.
A powerful draw for Connecticut’s tourism industry, more than 20 million people have walked her decks since she arrived at the museum.
“We sincerely appreciate this gesture of support from the governor, his administration, and state lawmakers,” said Mystic Seaport president Stephen C. White. “The “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” will help us put together a multi-agency initiative to use the Morgan as a catalyst for increased tourism, economic development, and innovative educational programming.”
The “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” will feature an extensive series of learner-based programs and resources for teachers to leverage to teach a range of subject material, including, but not limited to, history. The story of whaling and the Morgan touches on themes of globalization, America’s economic and social history, science, and environmental conservation, among others. Mystic Seaport is working with educators, administrators, foundations, and students to craft programs for the year.
The Charles W. Morgan. Photo Mystic Seaport
Some of the initiatives currently in development include Mystic Seaport building an online learning community that will feature the Morgan as central content for an interactive curriculum, onsite programs for school groups to visit the ship and offsite programs where museum educators travel to schools to assist teachers with in-person presentations.
“We want every child to have the chance to visit the Morgan,” said White. “Unfortunately, in this day and age that is not feasible. However, through technology and special programs we can take the Morgan to every student in the state.”
In the late spring of 2014, the Morgan will embark on a historic 38th voyage to historic ports in New England. The journey will begin with several weeks in New London, where she will finalize her preparations and conduct sail training. This will also include events celebrating the city’s whaling heritage. At one time, New London was one of the top five whaling ports in the world and much of the economic development of Eastern Connecticut owes its start to the wealth brought home by the city’s whaleships.
The Morgan will then sail to Newport, New Bedford (where she was built and sailed from for much of her career), Vineyard Haven on Martha’s Vineyard, through the Cape Cod Canal on the centennial anniversary of its opening, Provincetown, which she will use as a base for day sails among the whales on Stellwagon Bank, and finally to Boston to join the USS Constitution.
Each port stop will have a series of public events and programs focusing on that particular city’s heritage. When she returns to Mystic Seaport in August, the Morgan will return to her berth at Chubb’s Wharf and resume her role as an exhibit and flagship of the museum.
More information on the ship, her history, the restoration, and plans for the 38th voyage are available at: MysticSeaport/CharlesWMorgan.
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About the Author
Dan Mathers is a freelance writer and publisher of the online New England outdoors site SixStates.net. He is a former associate editor for Offshore magazine, and his work has been published in Cape Cod Life, South Shore Living and Adirondack Life. For more information, visit danmathers.com.
