Eleven weeks at sea. July 10 to July 16, 1876

Monday, July th/10
Begins with Strong wind and squally at
7 PM wore ship heading N.W. by W. saw black
fish Lat part blowing with squalls of wind
and rain wore ship at 6 AM. saw a
brig going to East.
Lat 35-26 N Lon 50-10 W
[black fish - possibly pilot whale or right whale]


Tuesday July th/11
Com - with strong wind from W.S.W ship
heading S.E. with rain ship under Close reefed
Main topsail reefed foresail fore topmast staysail
and main spencer Lat part wind and weather
the same at 11 1/2 AM wind let go one sail
in sight
Lat 35-08 N Lon 49-27 W


Wednesday July th/12
Begins with Calm and cloudy weather with a
little rain at 5 1/2 P.M. the captain went on board
the A. Hicks. Mid part rainy at 10 AM Cleared
up Stearing N.W. wind from NE.
Lat 35-26 N Lon 50-18 W


Thursday July th/13
Begins with pleasant weather and wind from E.
ship on the wind heading N. the Hicks in sight
Last part Calm with pleasant weather one
sail in sight.
Lat 36-24 N Lon 50-50 W


Friday July th14
Begins with pleasant weather and Calm nothing
in sight Lat part weather the same with light
wind from S.W. heading S.E. by S sent down
Main topsail and repaired it. Saw Blackfish
Lat 36-08 N Lon 50-48 W


Saturday July th/15
Com - with cloudy weather wind from S.W.
stearing full and by on starboard tack
Lat part weather Clear at 7 AM spoke Bark
Sparten from Barbadoes had taken 65 bls. oil [unable to identify vessel]
kept to N.W. on the wind
Lat 25-56 N Lon 50-28 W


Sunday July th/16
Com - with pleasant weather and fine wind from
W.S.W. kept off East. saw a steamer going East
at sundown. lufed to heading to the S. at 5 AM kept
off stearing E.N.E. signaled Bark Niphon of Bath [Bath, Maine]
heading to the south
Lat 36-00 N Lon 48-08 W
[Vessel: Niphon (bark) Master: Day
Register: Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 1876 can be seen here.

Sixth week at sea. June 5 to June 11, 1876

Monday June th/5
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
S at 6 PM got a smart breeze from a squall
with a little rain. Saw a sail to Westward.
Lat part pleasant weather at 5 AM raised whales
lowared and waste boat got one a large lot of them
Lat 32-25 N Lon 74.14 W

Tuesday June th/6
Begins with pleasant weather wind from S
Cut in our whale and started the works [try-works for boiling oil] at
sundown shortened sail as usual Lat part squaly
Saw five sail finished boiling had about 9 bls
had Strong wind from S. with heavy sea
Lat 32-25 N Lon 73.45 W

Wednesday June th/7
Begins with pleasant weather wind Came round
to N. Steared S. Lat part Strong wind Stearing
the same at noon Luffed on the wind to E.
three sail in sight
Lat 30-30 Lon 73-39 W

Thursday June th/8
Begins with Strong wind from N. at 1 P.M.
passed Schooner Mary E. Simmons with a whale
along side. at 5 tacked heading N.W.
Lat part wind Came to E. Ship on diferant
tacks
Lat 30-58 N Lon 73-36 W
[Schooner M. E. Simmons, Provincetown, MA, p.654 Starbucks]

Friday June th/9
Begins with strong wind from E. with pleasant
weather saw a schooner to N. stowed our oil 8 bls
Lat part much the same Saw two schooners
Ship on diferant tacks
Lat 30-55 N Lon 73-34 W

Saturday June th/10
Begins with pleasant weather and strong wind
from E. stearing south West Lat part Strong
wind with Cloudy weather Saw a Schooner.
employed setting up riging
Lat 30-46 N

Sunday June th/11
Begins with Strong wind fom E.S.E. heading
S. one sail in sight. Cloudy weather
Lat part Strong wind heading to eastward saw two
sails weather pleasant
Lat 30-42 N Lon 73-25 W.

Fifth week at sea. May 29 to June 4 1876.

Monday May th/29
Begins with hazy weather Standing to SW.
Wind from S.E. Lat part rainy Saw one Sail
Employed boiling wind from S.E.

Tuesday May th/30
Begins with rainy weather and Strong wind
from S.E. heading E.N.E. finished boiling at
5. P.M. turned up 21 bls. Lat part rainy
with Strong wind from N.E. ship on
diferant tacks
Lat 30 59 N Lon 72 55 W

Wednesday May th/31
Begins with Strong wind and rough Sea
with some rain at sun down took in fore
Topsail Ship heading N.W. Lat part blowing
Strong with rough sea
Lat 31-38 N Lon 73 13 W

Thursday June th/1
Begins with Strong wind from NE. and
rough sea Saw a sail to the south.
Lat part wind light with heavy swell from N
Saw two schooners Stearing S.E.
Lat 31-55 N Lon 73-43 W

Friday June th/2
Begins with pleasant weather and heavy swell
from N Stearing S. Caught a porpoise
Lat part wind light heading to West Stowed our oil
about 20 bls weather pleasant
Lat 32-08 N Lon 73-49 W 45?

Saturday Jun th/3
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind Stearing
S. by W. Lat part wind Came round to S Ship
on diferant tack. Working to south Saw two
sail
Lat 32-00 N Lon 73 22 W

Sunday June th/4
Begins with pleasant weather and wind from
S at night took in light sails heading to East
ward Lat part pleasant weather and light wind from
S heading on both tacks Saw a brig heading to N.E.
Lat 32-05 N Lon 73 44 W

Third week at sea. May 14 to May 20 1876

Sunday May th/14
Begins with light airs and hazy weather with
a little rain engaged riging Cutting gear
Lat part Strong wind from N.E. Stearing S.W.
Saw one sail Ship under for sail and Main
topsail
Lat 31-13 N Lon 73-55 W

Monday May th/15
Begins with strong wind from N.E. Stearing S.W.
at 6 P.M. lufed to the wind on port Tack
heading SE by E. Lat part Strong wind saw nothing
Lat 30-25 N Lon 74-11 W

Tuesday May th/16
Begins with Strong wind from E. Stearing W. at
7 P.M. lufed to on port tack and Shortened sail
for the night at sun rise made sail heading N.
pleasant weather sent Cutting pendants aloft [part of cutting gear?]
saw nothing
Lat 30-36 N Lon 74-20 W.



Wednesday May th/17
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
N.E. heading to the Northward at 7 P.M. saw
whales but did not go in pursuit of them it being
nearly dark. wore ship* and stood to the S. and
at sun rise saw them again at 8 A.M. lowared and
the Starboard boat Struck but drew. waste boat
got capsised Jiling [Jibing * *] Larboard boat had one mised
Lat 30-10 N Lon 75-31 W

Thursday May th/18
Begins with Strong wind Chasing whales Come on
board at 4 PM at 7 shortened sail for the night
Lat part pleasant weather and light wind engaged
breaking out nothing in sight.
Lat 30-44 N Lon 75 ?? W

Friday May th/19
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from S.E. Lat part light air and Calms Saw
a Schooner to south. pleasant weather
so ends this day
Lat 30-44 N Lon 75-26 W

Saturday, May th/20
Begins with Calm weather at 5 PM got a light
wind from S. at 5 Sent the Waste boat
to a Schooner with letters. She proved to be
the Isaac Oliver. from xxx. Cages for New York)
Lat part pleasant weather and light wind Stearing
S.S.E.
Lat 30-48 N Lon 74-56 W

* Wearing ship - tacking away from the wind in a square rigged vessel.
* * Jibing - to change from one tack to the other away from the wind, with the stern of the vessel turning through the wind.

A great find in the log. December 14, 1877

Logbook entry:

Friday Dec th/14 1877
Com- with light wind from S.E. with foggy weather
at 5 P.M. gamed [visited] the Charles W. Morgan 32 months
out 800 sperm. Capt Tincom [Tinkham] at 7. kept on the
Northern tack. Lat part light wind from S at 8 Am
Cleared up the Morgan in sight ship heading E
Lat 35-10 S Lon 21-42 W




This logbook entry is such a great find because the Bark Charles W. Morgan is the "Last Wooden Whaleship in the World" and can still be seen at the Mystic Seaport - The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic CT.






From the Mystic Seaport Research library we find these Voyage #10 records for the years 4/23/1875 - 5/17/1878 with Captain John M. Tinkham.

Voyage # 10 was unique in that Captain Tinkham's wife Clara Tinkham was aboard. She left the Morgan at St. Helena in November 1876. Mrs. Tinkham "suffered severe bouts of seasickness". Mrs. Tinkham took a steamer to England and then on to home. (see Leavitt below)

Charles W. Morgan video from the Mystic Seaport. YouTube short version.
Charles W. Morgan video from the Mystic Seaport. YouTube long version.

Some additional Mystic Seaport research resources:
Charles W. Morgan Whaling and Maritime History
Crew List for voyage #10.

Leavitt, John F., The Charles W. Morgan (Second Edition). Mystic CT., Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., 1998, ISBN: 0-913372-10-2

Second week at sea. May 7 to May 13 1876.

Sunday May th/7
Com- with light winds Ship heading S E.
with light rain Saw one sail and a Fin
Back. Lat-part light wind with a little
rain. Saw two sail Ship heading SE.
Lat 36-31 N Lon 71-28 W

Monday May th/8
Com'd with wind from S.S.W._ Ship heading
S.E. two sail in sight. at two PM Saw
Blackfish Mid part Strong wind heading
S.S.E. Lat part the same engaged piling
whaling gear
Lat 35-03 N Lon 69-32 W

Tuesday May th/9
Begins with pleasant weather and wind
from SW. Saw Fin Backs at 6 PM Tacked
to the Westward Lat part Strong wind Sat[saw]a
Brig abandond and on fire Main mast gone
supposed the crew had been taken off
Lat 34-30 N Lon 69 22 W

Wednesday May th/10
Begins with Strong wind from S Ship
heading to W Mid part blowing Strong
Lat part the same Ship under reefed Main top
sail and foresail heading to Eastward
Lat 34-16 N Lon 69-38 E

Thursday May th/11
Begins with Strong wind from S heading to E.
at 6 PM tacked to Westward weather much
the same Lat part wind light Stearing S.W. by W.
saw four sail engaged Setting up Main riging
Lat 33-32 N Lon 69-20 W

Friday May th/12
Begins with wind from N.W. and Cloudy weather
Stearing W.S.W. Saw two Sail. Lat part pleasant
weather and light wind from N. Stearing the
same saw two Sail
Lat 32 44 N Lon 71-21 W.

Saturday May th/13
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from E. Saw nothing engaged braking out
Lat part much the same weather with light
veriable winds saw nothing working to the West
Lat 31-45 N Lon 72-54 W

Owen H. Tilton life at sea.

To view a readable version of the data table above click here or on the image above.

The table above contains a list of the voyages on which Owen H. Tilton was aboard as either a crew member or the ship's Master. His earliest voyage was in 1852 at the age of 16 and his last voyage was aboard the Tropic Bird 1876-1878. Owen H. Tilton retired from whaling after the 1876-1878 voyage at the age of 42.

Key to data in the Citation column.
R.H.= Reginald B. Hegarty
Return Of Whaling Vessels Sailing From American Ports. 1876-1928, Reginald B. Hegarty, Published 1959, A Continuation of Alexander Starbuck's "History of the American Whale Fishery" Publisher The Old Dartmouth Historical Society and Whale Museum, New Bedford Massachusetts, 1959, 58 pages. Find "Hegarty" here.

A.S.= Alexander Starbuck
History of the American Whale Fishery, Alexander Starbuck, 1989, 767 pages. Find "Starbuck's" here.