Whaling in CT (Ep. 78)

Whaling was a critical part of the Connecticut economy for 200 years, ending only in the 1920s. Of the 2,700 wooden whaling ships built over that time, only one remains – the Charles W. Morgan, anchored at Mystic Seaport in CT. Voyages lasted for several years, with 60 whales caught on each trip for blubber, oil and bone. The oil literally made the Industrial Age possible by lubricating machine parts. It’s an amazing story, as told by the woman who has led demonstrations aboard the Morgan at the Seaport for decades, Mary K. Bercaw Edwards.