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HERALD whaler 1851

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:40 pm
by shipstamps

In an article I found, that the American whaler HERALD under command of Capt. Terry visited Abemama, one of the Gilbert and Ellice group (now Kiribati) in December 1850. On the Kiribati stamp, which shows us the whaler HERALD, is the year 1851, so I believe the history of the whaler given below is the whaler depict on the stamp.

1) She sailed for her first whaling voyage on Nov. 1801 from New Bedford under command of Capt Gibbs for the whaling grounds of Brazil, returned on 02 May 1803.
2) Next voyage under command of Capt. Coffin when she sailed on 08 Feb. 1805 from New Bedford, not a return date given. Ship rigged.
3) Again under Capt. Coffin she sailed in Sept. 1808 from New Bedford for the Cape of Good Hope, returned 13 April 1810 with on board 400 brls. whale-oil.
4) Under command of Coffin she sailed in 1809 for the Cape of Good Hope, not a return date given.

5) Her next voyage is from Fairhaven Mass., when she sailed under command of Capt Bunker on 18 July 1815 to Patagonia, returned 22 June 1816 with on board 1.400 brls whale-oil.
6) Sailed again under Capt. Bunker from Fairhaven, her owner given as S. Borden for the whaling grounds of Brazil in January 1817, returned 26 May 1818 with on board 130 brls sperm-oil and 700 brls. whale-oil.
7) Sailed under command of Capt.Burtch in July 1818 for Patagonia, not a return date given.
8) Under command of Capt. Spooner for Patagonia in 1819, returned on 05 June 1820 with on board 1.100 brls whale oil.
9) Under command of Shearman for the whaling grounds off Brazil on May 1821, returned 17 May 1822 with on board 1.500 brls. whale-oil.
10) Under command of Neil for the whaling grounds off Brazil in 1822, returned 21 May 1823 with on board 1.300 brls. whale-oil. The crew badly troubled with scurvy.
11) Again under command of Neil for Patagonia in 1823, returned 22 May 1824 with on board 1.300 brls whale-oil.
12) Under command of Capt. Burtch, sailed on 6 June 1825, not a return date given.
13) Under command of Capt. James Wood, sailed on 31 July 1826 for the whaling grounds of Brazil, not a return date given but a report gives that she had 1.300 brls whale-oil.
14) Again under Wood, owner given as Samuel Borden & Co. for the whaling grounds off Brazil on 08 August 1827, returned 01 June 1828 with on board 1.600 brls. whale-oil.
15) Under command of Capt. Stephen Grinnell sailed on 05 August 1828 for the whaling grounds off Brazil, not a return date given.
16) Under command of Capt. Caleb Kempton, owner given as Alexander Gibbs, tonnage 274 ton, sailed on 01 July 1829 for the whaling grounds off Brazil, returned 06 June 1830, with on board 200 brls sperm-oil, 1.600 brls. whale-oil and 12.000 bone.
17) Under command of Capt Isaiah West for the whaling grounds of the South Atlantic on 20 July 1831, returned 22 Feb. 1832, not a catch given.
18) Under Capt. West sailed on 04 June 1832 from Fairhaven for the whaling grounds of the South Atlantic, returned14 April 1833 with on board 1.300 brls whale-oil.
19) Her next voyage again under West is to the whaling grounds of the South Atlantic, sailed on 10 July 1833, returned 09 May 1834, with on board 1.300 brls whale-oil and 11.000 lbs. bone.
20) Again under West she sailed on 26 June 1834 for the whaling grounds of the South Atlantic, returned on 12 June 1835, with on board 70brls. sperm-oil and 950brls. whale-oil and 8.000lbs. bone.
21) Under command of Capt. Zenas Dillingham, now given barque rigged, owner Samuel Borden, sailed on 30 July 1835 for the South Atlantic, returned 12 April 1836 with on board 689brls. whale-oil.
22) Again under Dillingham, sailed on 12 August 1836 for the whaling grounds of the South Atlantic, returned 11 April 1838 with on board 180brls sperm-oil and 426brls. whale oil.
23) Sailed out under Capt. William Devoll on 19 July 1838 for the South Atlantic, arrived home on 02 April 1840 with on board 112brls. sperm-oil and 1.360brls. whale-oil.
24) Again under Devoll, sailed out on 16 July 1840 for the Indian Ocean, returned 21 May 1842 with on board 200brls. sperm-oil and 1.400brls. whale oil.
25) Under captain Hathaway, sailed out on 11 August 1842 for the South Atlantic, returned home on 23 June 1844, with on board 90lbs. sperm-oil, 1.510lbs. whale-oil and 12.000lbs. bone.
26) Sailed out under command of Capt. Luce on 14 Sept. 1844 for the Indian Ocean, returned 06 April 1847 with on board 100brls. sperm-oil, 1.000brls. whale-oil and 8.500lbs. bone.
27) Under command of Capt. Terry, owner given as Seth A. Mitchell, sailed out from Fairhaven on 11 Nov. 1847 for the Indian Ocean, sent home 27brls whale-oil and 25.497lbs bone. Is given that she shipped oil to London. Sold at HONOLULU, March 1854. Fate till so far unknown.

During this voyage she made a call at the island Kosrae, Micronesia on 24 October 1849, at that time seven ships were lying off shore. She sailed from the island on 30 October.
On 6 October 1850 she was again at Kosrae, took on board one raft of fresh water, and sailed again on 23 October.

1850 She visited the Abemama Island. At that time on Abemama there were 9 foreigners under which two from Hawaii, and they acted as local agents for the whaling vessels who visited the island.
In December 1850 Capt. Terry of the HERALD left with them a considerable quantity of tobacco with which to purchase cocoanut-oil, and about eleven tons of cask, in which to put the oil. Shortly afterwards however, the European residents made such a nuisance of themselves that when Captain Terry returned for his oil in February 1851, he found that they had all been killed on the order of the High Chief Baiteke, who thereafter kept the entire trade in his own hands. (I am wondering of Capt. Terry got his oil).

Called again at Kosrae on 22 May 1852, took on board firewood and fresh water, sailed again on 01 July.
She made an other call at Kosrae but this time under command of Capt. Alex Harlow on 4 March 1853. The second mate was drowned in attempting to reach the ship PARAGON when it struck a reef. She sailed on 29 March, but returned to Kosrae on 08 October the same year. Took on board five seamen and firewood and fresh water, sailed on 27 October, most probably for the Hawaii Island were she was sold in 1854.

Kiribati 1990 15c sg 343, scott 557.

Sources: History of the American Whale Fishery by Alexander Starbuck. Foreign Ships in Micronesia by Francis and Hezel. The Coconut trade of the Gilbert Islands by Made and Leeson and published in the Polynesian Society Journal 1965.