American Whaling Mapped

An animated visualization of Matthew Maury’s collection of data from logbooks of American whaling voyages. From Data narratives and structural histories: Melville, Maury, and American whaling by Ben Schmidt:

“Data visualizations are like narratives: they suggest interpretations, but don’t require them. A good data visualization, in fact, lets you see things the interpreter might have missed. This should make data visualization especially appealing to historians. Much of the historian’s art is turning dull information into compelling narrative; visualization is useful for us because it suggests new ways of making interesting the stories we’ve been telling all along. In particular: data visualization lets us make historical structures immediately accessible in the same way that narratives have let us do so for stories about individual agents.

“I’ve been looking at the ship’s logs that climatologists digitize because it’s a perfect case of forlorn data that might tell a more interesting story. My post on European shipping gives more of the details about how to make movies from ship’s logs, but this time I want to talk about why, using a new set with about a half-century of American vessels sailing around the world.

“To find something I might more usefully be able to discuss, I went through the biggest source of historical shipping records, the ICOADs collection, and pulled out the very first systematic collection of logbooks ever assembled: Matthew Maury’s collection of American shipping from about 1785 to 1860, assembled mostly before the Civil War.”

Read more →

Scottish Vessels Lost in the Arctic Bowhead Whale Fishery (1750–WWI)

Table

Legend:  Hunt** =  East Greenland (EG), Davis Strait (DS), Newfoundland (NL), Cumberland Gulf (CG)

Note: For additional data, see Scottish Arctic Whaling. In the table below, click on a column heading to sort by that column. Click on an entry in the “Link to Whaling History” column to view voyage data for that vessel.

LostVesselSail/ SteamLink to Whaling HistoryPortHunt**Years WhalingTotal Seasons
1751HopetonsSS127EdinburghEG17511
1756ThistlesSS264Bo'nessEG1752-65
1757Prince of WalessSS211EdinburghEG1753-75
1758BorrowstounesssSS035Bo'nessEG1755-84
1762HawkesSS116AnstrutherEG1758-625
1763EdinburghsSS078EdinburghEG1752-6312
1777Royal Bounty (1)sSS235EdinburghEG1752-7726
1778CampbeltonsSS042EdinburghEG1751-7828
1782Dundee (1)sSS068DundeeEG1754-8229
1791NeptunesSS185EdinburghEG1787-915
1792Princess of Wales (1)sSS215DunbarEG1759-9233
1792MontrosesSS181MontroseDS1787-926
1798Blessed EndeavoursSS031DunbarEG1753-9844
1799Toy(1)sSS259DundeeEG1786-9914
1804East LothiansSS074DunbarEG1785-180419
1806SimmssSS240EdinburghEG1805-62
1808North StarsSS189Bo'nessDS1799-18088
1813LatonasSS160AberdeenEG1785-181329
1813OscarsSS192AberdeenEG1812-132
1816Earl of FifesSS071BanffEG1814-163
1818ElbesSS080AberdeenDS1812-187
1819RaithsSS220EdinburghDS1785-181935
1819Royal Bounty (2)sSS236EdinburghDS1785-181935
1819Thomas and AnnsSS269EdinburghDS1805-1915
1819SisterssSS243KirkcaldyDS1818-192
1819Mary AnnsSS174DundeeDS1803-1917
1819Toy(2)sSS260DundeeDS1813-197
1819DiamondsSS060AberdeenEG1812-198
1821DexteritysSS058EdinburghDS1812-2110
1821LarkinssSS058EdinburghDS1813-219
1821ElizabethsSS084AberdeenDS1813-219
1822CalypsosSS041DundeeDS1810-2213
1822HerosSS122MontroseDS1820-223
1822InvinciblesSS131PeterheadDS1819-224
1825SuccesssSS255EdinburghDS1805-2521
1825EstridgesSS096DundeeDS1800-2526
1825DonsSS064AberdeenDS1814-2512
1826JeansSS145PeterheadEG1818-269
1828ActivesSS004PeterheadDS1810-2819
1828AlpheussSS021PeterheadDS1818-2811
1828Enterprize (1)sSS090PeterheadDS1824-85
1829Home CastlesSS124EdinburghDS1813-2917
1829JanesSS138AberdeenDS1801-2929
1830BaffinsSS028EdinburghDS1825-306
1830RattlersSS224EdinburghDS1803-3028
1830AchillessSS003DundeeDS1820-3011
1830Three BrotherssSS270DundeeDS1813-3018
1830SpencersSS248MontroseDS1815-3016
1830Alexander (1)sSS014AberdeenDS1819-3012
1830LetitasSS157AberdeenDS1812-3019
1830Middleton (1)sSS177AberdeenDS1812-3019
1830Princess of Wales (2)sSS216AberdeenDS1813-3018
1830JohnsSS146GreenockDS1811-3029
1830HopesSS125PeterheadDS1802-3029
1830Resolution (1)sSS229PeterheadDS1813-3018
1831RamblersSS221KirkcaldyDS1820-3112
1831JamessSS134PeterheadDS1829-313
1832JunosSS149EdinburghDS1813-3220
1832William YoungsSS288EdinburghDS1831-22
1832EggingtonsSS079KirkcaldyDS1830-23
1834LondonsSS164MontroseDS1813-3422
1835Middleton (2)sSS178AberdeenDS1813-3523
1836ThomassSS267DundeeDS1823-3614
1840HedasSS117KirkcaldyDS1834-407
1840PerseverancesSS200PeterheadEG1811-4029
1847CaledoniasSS040KirkcaldyDS1821-4727
1847AlfredsSS018Bo'nessDS1836-4710
1849MarysSS172AberdeenEG1838-4912
1849SuperiorsSS256PeterheadDS1815-4933
1852RegaliasSS226KirkcaldyDS1835-5213
1852Joseph GreensSS147PeterheadEG1831-5221
1852SpitzbergensSS249PeterheadEG18521
1852HornsSS128DundeeDS1805-5245
1854FelixsSS099BanffEG1852-43
1856Princess CharlottesSS212DundeeDS1820-5637
1857GypsysSSI 13PeterheadDS1855-73
1858HeroinesSSI 20DundeeDS1833-5811
1858EclipsesSS076PeterheadDS1820-5839
1858TravellersSS271PeterheadCG1821-5837
1858JackalstSS133PeterheadCG1857-82
1859AdvicesSS007DundeeDS1805-5951
1859Empress of IndiastSS087PeterheadEG18591
1859InnuitstSS129PeterheadEG1857-93
1859UnionsSS280PeterheadCG1813-5944
1860Enterprize (2)sSS091FraserburghEG1845-6016
1860FairysSS098PeterheadEG1820-6034
1861St. AndrewsSS250AberdeenDS1813-6142
1861CommercesSS054PeterheadDS1828-6134
1862AbramsSS002KirkcaldyDS1855-628
1862Chieftain (1)sSS045KirkcaldyDS1833-6230
1862Lord GambiersSS165KirkcaldyDS1853-6210
1862Alexander (2)sSS015DundeeDS1831-6232
1862Arctic (1)sSS023AberdeenCG1856-627
1862Resolution (2)sSS229PeterheadDS1830-6233
1863Dundee (2)stSS070DundeeDS1859-635
1863JumnastSS148DundeeDS1857-637
1864EmmastSS086DundeeEG1863-42
1866DublinsSS067PeterheadCG1846-6621
1868ColumbiasSS052DundeeDS1851-6817
1868River TaystSS231DundeeDS18681
1868WildfirestSS286DundeeDS1860-89
1869Alexander (3)stSS016DundeeDS1864-96
1874Arctic (2)stSS024DundeeDS1867-748
1874Tay (3)stSS261DundeeDS1858-7418
1878CamperdownstSS043DundeeDS1860-7819
1879Our QueenstSS194DundeeDS18791
1879RavenscraigstSS225DundeeDS1866-7914
1880XanthussSS291PeterheadDS1852-8027
1881VictorstSS282DundeeDS1848-8134
1882Jan Mayen (1)stSS135DundeeEG1860-8223
1883MazinthenstSS176DundeeDS1851-8333
1884NarwhalstSS183DundeeDG1859-8426
1885CornwallisstSS055DundeeDS1884-52
1885IntrepidstSS130DundeeEG1852-8534
1886Jan Mayen (2)stSS136DundeeDS1875-8612
1886ResolutestSS227DundeeNL1880-67
1886StarstSS253DundeeDS1883-64
1886TriunestSS276DundeeDS1884-63
1886CatherinesSS044PeterheadDS1883-64
1887Arctic (3)stSS025DundeeDS1875-8713
1892Chieftain (2)stSS046DundeeEG1884-929
1892MaudstSS175DundeeDS1884-929
1899Polar StarstSS205DundeeCG1857-9938
1902Nova ZemblastSS190DundeeDS1875-190228
1903VegastSS281DundeeDS19031
1907WindwardstSS290DundeeDS1904-074
1909SnowdropsSS245DundeeDS1905-083

The Merrimac Journal Transcription Project

Voyage of the Whaler Merrimac

When the Journal arrived at the Custom House in August 2020, it was examined by Susan Tamulevich, Executive Director, and Laurie Deredita, librarian, who noted its fragile condition. Despite the temptation to start reading it, they decided that it would be prudent to handle the manuscript as little as possible. After an article appeared in the Day of New London, it became clear that there was a lot of local interest in this New London-based whaling journal and that it would be useful to have a transcription of the pages publicly available. To this end, Susan took photographs of each of the pages so that a transcriber could work from the images rather than the pages themselves.  Eventually, it was decided to “crowdsource” the task of transcribing to volunteer “scriveners.” With the Custom House closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed like the perfect project for people interested in maritime history but stuck at home. All of the sending, receiving and editing of documents would take place electronically.

Susan’s call for volunteers received local and national media attention and she was nearly overwhelmed with responses from people all over the country and abroad who wanted to try their hand at transcribing. In early January 2021 she began to send out the page assignments and instructions to the volunteers.  Within days, Laurie started receiving the completed transcriptions from the volunteers and she began to post the texts, side-by-side with the corresponding photographed pages from the manuscript, on an online website called Voyage of the Whaler Merrimac, created on the Omeka platform. By February 2021 the transcription part of the project was complete but the editing process took another two months until we decided  that it was good enough.

Mattapoisett Data Stories

Mattapoisett Data Stories

Through interactive maps and visualizations,  Mattapoisett Data Stories invites exploration of life in the shipbuilding village of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, in the late 1700s and mid-1800s by integrating map, census, and American Offshore Whaling Voyages data.

Explore Mattapoisett Data Stories →

Mattapoisett census map
(click to view full size)

Through an interactive map focusing on village residents, visitors can explore Mattapoisett village c. 1855/1856. Clicking on the map reveals information about the residents, the whaling voyages residents crewed, historic buildings, and related Mattapoisett Museum collection records. Overlaying later town maps shows how the town changed between 1856 and 1903.

Mattapoisett whaling voyages map
(click to view full size)

Visualizations summarize the growth of the U.S. whaling and Mattapoisett shipbuilding industries during the 1800s, document changes in occupations, and provide contextualized access to collection images.

The underlying microdata may be viewed online and downloaded.

Mattapoisett Museum: 2014, 2019

Voyage of the Neptune 1840-1842

Mystic Seaport Museum for Educators

This map represents the journey of the whaler Neptune (Mystic Seaport Museum O-LOG 23) of New London, Connecticut. Chronicling the ship’s voyage from October, 1840 – April, 1842, the map depicts the ship’s day-to-day events as it traveled to the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans as they were described in the ship’s logbook. View the active map →

Original content by: Allyse Zajac

The collaboration

This voyage of Neptune is American Offshore Whaling Voyage AV10372. Our database includes summary information about the voyage, the vessel and the master, Samuel Greene, Jr., as well as a crew list.  In building her interactive voyage map, Allyse Zajac started with AOWL logbook data then added detail, encoded special events, and transcribed all of the complete logbook entries from the original logbook in the collections of Mystic Seaport Museum.

In the next phase of our project, we hope to take the data set from her project and  use it to enhance the information on whalinghistory.org.

 

Oil & Bone: American Ports in the Golden Age of Yankee Whaling

By Kerry Gathers

At its peak in the mid-19th century, whaling was a gigantic, global business that provided oil to light the streets and homes of Europe and America, and bone to make profitable consumer goods for sale around the world. The young United States dominated this industry, and for a time, whaling was the fifth largest sector of the American economy.

While stories of whaling drama, adventure, and violence are typically set at sea, this map aims to communicate the economic impact of whaling back in American ports, where sperm oil, whale oil, and whalebone landed and entered the market. For over 60 port cities and towns, this map reports the market values of whale products as they were returned to port from 1804 to 1876, illustrating the drastic ebbs and flows of the industry.

Oil and Bone Map
Click on image to enlarge. Interact with the map at www.kgmaps.com/oil-and-bone

 

 

Spatial and Seasonal Distribution of American Whaling and Whales in the Age of Sail

This map showing the spatial distribution of American Whaling and Whales in the 17th to 19th century was created using AOWL data. This and other maps are presented in:

Smith TD, Reeves RR, Josephson EA, Lund JN (2012) Spatial and Seasonal Distribution of American Whaling and Whales in the Age of Sail. PLoS ONE 7(4): e34905.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034905

Abstract

American whalemen sailed out of ports on the east coast of the United States and in California from the 18th to early 20th centuries, searching for whales throughout the world’s oceans. From an initial focus on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and right whales (Eubalaena spp.), the array of targeted whales expanded to include bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus). Extensive records of American whaling in the form of daily entries in whaling voyage logbooks contain a great deal of information about where and when the whalemen found whales. We plotted daily locations where the several species of whales were observed, both those caught and those sighted but not caught, on world maps to illustrate the spatial and temporal distribution of both American whaling activity and the whales. The patterns shown on the maps provide the basis for various inferences concerning the historical distribution of the target whales prior to and during this episode of global whaling.

Townsend’s Whaling Charts

Chart A: Distribution of the sperm whale based on logbook records dating from 1761 to 1920. April – September, inclusive. (Click on any chart to enlarge.)
Chart B: Distribution of the sperm whale based on logbook records dating from 1761 – 1920 October—March, inclusive
Chart C: Distribution of northern and southern right whales based on logbook records dating from 1785 to 1913.
Chart D: Distribution of bowhead and humpback whales based on logbook records – mostly Nineteenth Century.

From Townsend CH (1935) The distribution of certain whales as shown by logbook records of American whaleships. 19. Zoologica (NY): : 1–50+6 Charts.

For a dataset that corresponds in part to these charts, visit Townsend’s Logbook Data →

For more information and chart scans, visit WCS Canada →

Honolulu, Nov 2nd 1859

To: Mystic Seaport, Collections Research Center
Date: 23 November 2017

Sir:

When my older brother died last month, his widow sent me a box of family papers, much of which I was totally ignorant of. Among them was a letter dated Nov 2nd 1859, from Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. The letter was from, I assume, a crew Member to his mother. In it he expresses regret at the news of his father’s death and guilt that he wasn’t there to help console the family. He writes that there are presently about 80 ships in port, mostly whalers, and he has met many men from Hartford. He also notes that they were “in the Ochotsk Sea six months and have on board one thousand barrels of oil and 8500 lbs of bone”. He signed the letter “From your ever affectionate and dutyful son, Sidney Case.” He then writes “Please direct Honolulu Sandwich Island in care of Cpt Davey (Davis?) “Barque Gratitude” The hand writing is very formal and ornate, the letter has been folded, unfolded numerous times and at some point the folds were taped making much of it difficult to read. I would like to confirm that “Sidney Case” was a crew member, and then try to determine what connection he had with my family (Gilmore (Gillmore) and Randall). Any information you can provide is appreciated.