Seafaring
and Trade
Seabound
destiny
New
Bedford's history has been linked with the oceans beyond its fine
harbor. Whaling was its premier enterprise but not every ship was
a whaler. Even Joseph Rotch, a whaling pioneer, engaged in merchant
trade. In December 1773, when the Sons of Liberty dumped tea into
Boston Harbor to protest British taxation without representation,
the Rotch family's Dartmouth and Beaver, whaleships were part of
the tea fleet under charter to the East India Company.
"Shipping
New Bedford Harbor" c. 1855,
oil on canvas, by William
Bradford and Albert
Van Beest.
From the collection of the Old Darthmouth
Historical Society
- New Bedford Whaling Museum 1975.17.
© New Bedford Whaling Museum. All rights reserved.
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Merchant
trade
From the late-eighteenth century on, the Yankee trader carried
cargo all over the world. In Maritime History of Massachusetts
1783-1860, Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that ". . . hardly a port
of Europe there was. . . where the Yankee trader was not as familiar
as the seasons. . ." New Bedford merchants were among them.
The Ann Alexander to the rescue
As Nelson's fleet lay victorious but battered after the Battle
of Trafalgar in 1805, the Ann Alexander of New Bedford sailed
into view, carrying apples, flour, and lumber -- just what hungry
sailors and damaged ships needed. The Ann Alexander was sunk by
a sperm whale, "On the Line," in the Pacific in 1851, giving rise
to Melville's famous remark about the possibility of Moby Dick
still being out there.
What they carried in their holds
Merchant ships picked up cargoes in one or more ports and delivered
them to others. They carried a variety of goods, including coffee,
cotton, flax, fruit, hemp, molasses, pepper, rum, tea, tobacco,
and wine.
Where they sailed
From the late 1600s, New England ships were trading with the West
Indies and Europe. They helped develop the Caribbean "sugar colonies"
by trading food, timber, and European goods for molasses and rum.
By the 1830s, Massachusetts merchants entered the lucrative China,
India, and spice island trades. New Bedford citizens were major
figures in the "China Trade." Household goods and art from Asia
began to appear in the mansions of the city's whaling men and
merchant traders.
Chinese porcelain teapot with Canton-style decoration
(h. 4 1/2").
Brought from China in 1793 by Capt. Robert Gray. Donated
by his descendants, Elizabeth Belshaw and Barbara Clements 1990.01.14
Privateers
During the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, the British blockaded
American ports and seized ships on the high seas. Merchant trade
and whaling were thwarted. In 1775, when George Washington authorized
six private vessels to capture British supply ships, the idea
of "privateers" became popular and soon 600 sailed from Massachusetts
ports. During the War of 1812, captured vessels were often auctioned
in New Bedford, a favorite harbor for running in enemy ships,
known as "prizes."
Rebellious stripes in London
The Ship Bedford, owned by New Bedford merchant William Rotch,
Jr., sailed for London in 1783, with 487 butts of whale-oil in
its hold. (A butt is a barrel-like container, which holds 130
US gallons.) It was the first ship to display the thirteen stripes
of the new American nation in a British port.
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