Expert Maritime Historian to Lecture on Last Surviving Wooden Whaleship, Charles W. Morgan

Rockland, Maine - Matthew Stackpole of Mystic Seaport will present an illustrated lecture in Rockland on the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan, the very last wooden whaleship in existence of some 2,700 that were built between 1700 and 1900. The restoration of the 106-foot bark is taking place at Mystic Seaport, the maritime history museum in Connecticut and home to the Morgan since 1941. Built in 1841 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Morgan spent 80 years at sea. Stackpole is a lead part of the team supporting her restoration.

The New England whaling industry and the Morgan were nothing new to Matthew Stackpole when he was hired onto the restoration project in 2008.  Stackpole’s ancestors hail from Nantucket, where he spent the first years of his life.  When his father, Edouard Stackpole, was hired by Mystic Seaport to curate exhibits, the family departed Nantucket and took residence on the site of the museum itself, where the Morgan was already on the hard and open for viewing.  In addition to museum curator, the senior Stackpole penned dozens of books about whaling and ships, including “The Charles W. Morgan: The Last Wooden Whaleship” in 1967.

Early in his career, Matthew taught history, but moved onto nonprofit development and eventually became director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum where he served for nearly a decade.  Currently he serves as a Major Gifts Officer and Ship’s Historian for the Morgan Restoration Project.

Last spring, The Apprenticeshop, the school for traditional boatbuilding and seamanship in Rockland, Maine, was invited to participate in the restoration of the Charles W. Morgan by building a whaleboat for the project.  Seven whaleboats (five in davits, two on deck in reserve) would have been aboard the Morgan while she was at sea.  These 30-foot boats were equipped with whale hunting gear and were lowered into the water when a whale was sighted.  It was from these open rowing boats with sail rigs that the giant mammals were harpooned.  Each carried 1,200 feet of whale line coiled in two tubs which were run around a loggerhead at the stern then forward to connect to the harpoons at the bow.  The Apprenticeshop, the only boatbuilding school in Maine invited to contribute, began its build in August with plans to finish in approximately 8 months’ time.

Stackpole’s presentation will commence at 7 pm on Thursday, October 4 at The Apprenticeshop, located at 643 Main Street in Rockland. No reservations are necessary, though a $5 fee will be charged at the door. After the talk, a tour of The Apprenticeshop’s whaleboat project will be conducted.  For more information:  www.apprenticeshop.org or (207) 594-1800.