History of the Bark SEA QUEEN
The SEA QUEEN was built in 1856 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts as a whaling vessel, and on her last voyage in April, 1884, she departed New Bedford for a whaling voyage to the South Atlantic. By October, ten men had deserted, and during the next year, sixteen more did the same. In February, 1886, the vessel lost her windlass in a storm off Capetown. In July, 1888, the SEA QUEEN was surveyed, condemned, and sold at Port Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles, and the officers and crew were put up at the sailor’s home. Here they applied, through the Reverend at the home, to the bark’s owner, Mr. John McCullock, for their share of the 1780 barrels of oil taken during the voyage. Meanwhile, Capt. Thompson proceeded to the United States, where he arrived in October, 1888.
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Thompson, Joseph
Places:
Seychelles
South Atlantic Ocean–Description and travel
Subjects:
Desertion, Fisheries
Voyages and travels
Whalers (Persons)
Whaling–Massachusetts–New Bedford
Windlasses
Document Types:
Ships’ papers
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Administrative Information
Coll. 56, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Ships’ papers; 1884-1888.
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | Statistics, maintainance and repair history. Images |
| 2 | General papers including receipts, hiring, discharging and desertion of crew, etc.. Images | |
| 3 | General papers including manifest and crew papers. Images | |
| 4 | General papers including receipts, disbursements, crew papers and documents regarding broken windlass. Images | |
| 5 | General papers including receipts and crew papers. Images | |
| 6 | General papers, receipts, crew papers, ship survey, broadsides, advertising repair and auction of vessel. Images | |
| 7 | Legal papers concerning the abandonment and sale of vessel. Images | |
| 8 | Correspondence. Images | |
| 9 | “Code of Signals to be Used at Sea”,London. Images | |
| 10 | Unidentified material. Images |