Refit for Active Service: Merchant Vessel Conversion and the "Golden Age" of American Whaling

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The period following the War of 1812 saw ship owners, builders, and investors rush to reestablish the damaged United States whale fishery and “cash-in” on the ever-increasing demand for its products. While New England’s shipyards constructed some of the ships needed to rebuild the damaged fleet, converting merchant vessels to whaleships was generally preferred as conversion was a less expensive and more immediate process than constructing new vessels. These “recycled” whaleships comprised the bulk of the fleet during America’s “Golden Age” of whaling and were essential components of its successful reconstruction. Historic and archaeological research on the early-19th century converted whaleship Thames (1818-1836), data from archival documents, and information from recent literature provide a better understanding of the construction characteristics, processes of conversion, and broader significance of these vessels as they drove the American whale fishery to dominance in the mid-19th century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 1070