Charles W. Morgan

Charles W. Morgan is a wooden whaling vessel at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut that measures 133 feet (40.5 meters) and carries equipment from the 1800s across three decks. Harpoons, winches, processing ovens, and navigation instruments sit on board, documenting the full operation of a hunting voyage.

Construction took place in 1841 in New Bedford when the town served as the center of the American whaling industry and hundreds of ships sailed from there to oceans worldwide. After 37 voyages and 80 years of commercial service, the final trip ended in 1921 and the vessel entered museum conservation in 1941.

The name honors the New Bedford merchant who financed the ship, while the interior spaces show sleeping hammocks, blubber barrels, and the galley where sailors cooked their meals. Visitors can walk through crew quarters and cargo holds where tools and personal items sit on display.

Guided visits explain how winches, harpoons, and ovens worked, and the narrow ladders and low ceilings require sturdy footwear. Summer demonstrations show rope knots and gear maintenance, while the ship sometimes closes temporarily during rough weather or high winds.

The ship crossed every ocean except the Baltic and brought home more than 54,000 barrels of whale oil across its decades in service. A restoration in the 2010s allowed a brief sailing trip in 2014, the first in nearly a century.