Sailors, Whalers, Fantastic Sea Voyages: An Activity Guide to North American Sailing Life
1802 First steamboat launched in England 1808 Congress outlaws American participation in the African slave trade 1818 The first American packet ship James Monroe of the Black Ball line sails from New York to Liverpool 1845 The Rainbow the first American clipper ship is launched 1856 Harpoon gun is
Als 1859 Petroleum oil discovered in Pennsylvani Kerosene begins to replace whale oil for lighting fuel 1869 First transcontinental railroad is complete 1871 Thirty three whalers lost trapped in Arctic ice 1924 On August 25 the last whaler the Wanderer sails out from New Bedford Massachusetts 1812 War of 1812 British impress American ships and force crews into naval service Americans respond by recaptur ing ships and crippling the British fleet 1841 Fresnel lighthouse lens is used 1848 Gold discovered in
Lewis Temple invents toggle iron harpoon Whalers enter Bering Sea Arctic 1854 Clipper ship Lightning built by Donald McKay sets a world record by traveling 436 nautical miles in one day 1861 Civil War devastates whaling and merchant fleet Confederates burn and sink 40 ships 1925 Final whaling voyage concludes with the return of the John R
In tr o d u C ti on magine yourself at the bow of a sailing ship the ocean spray on your face and the endless blue horizon ahead You are a sailor beginning a three year deepwater journey across the world What will you take with you Who will you leave behind Do you think you'll return alive The seafaring life was a challenging one in the 19th century whaling ships searched the seven seas for whales that yielded precious oil and bone Mer chant ships with their tall sails and sleek shapes rushed to trade cargo from foreign ports to America's shores Maritime history covers many subjects naval his tory fishing inland waterways commerce explo ration adventure and whaling Sailors Whalers Fantastic Sea Voyages An Activity Guide to North American Sailing Life takes you on a journey to learn about North America's deepwater sailors whalemen and merchant seamen who made their living from the sea and whose jobs took them away for months and
