Coddington was born in Marlborough CT in November 1819. He was the son of Gilbert (1790-1841) and Elizabeth (Perkins) Fish (1794-1862). Find A Grave for his brother Asa (AM1823) (contents not verified) lists four other sons of Gilbert and Elizabeth, three of whom are described as “Capt”: Asa, master of one voyage from New London (1851–1854); George, master of one voyage from Mystic (1860-1861); and James (crew member on numerous voyages). On April 21, 1851 Coddington, then of New London, married Mary Young of Lyme CT in Norwich CT. The 1860 census shows the couple living in New London, Coddington then described as “seaman”. No record was found that they had any children. In May 1867, Coddington, his brother James, and three others in a fishing party on Coddington’s boat capsized in a squall in Long Island Sound off Fisher’s Island NY. Only James survived. The engraving on Coddington’s gravestone (in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London) describes what happened: “CAPT. CODDINGTON P. FISH, DROWNED IN LONG ISLAND SOUND MAY 31, 1867 AGED 47 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS”. Beneath is a poignant prayer, perhaps written by Mary:
“He now has reached the peaceful shore
Where stormy billows rage no more;
And could he speak to you, he’d say
O weep not o’er my breathless clay.”
Coddington was issued Seaman’s Protection Certificate #101 in New London on July 10, 1841. The July 19, 1851 crew list of NEW ENGLAND (AS0488) (ship, 375 tons, length 111’, built in Medford MA in 1824, ended its days as part of Stone Fleet #2) shows Coddington, then age 31, as a member of the crew. The ship sailed on August 21, 1851 for the N. Pacific and returned on March 25, 1854. The original master was Gilbert Pendleton (AM3807). Coddington replaced Gilbert when the latter supposedly shot himself accidently at sea (AOWV). Dennis Wood Abstract 2-501 makes no mention of Gilbert’s death or of Coddington replacing him. Miner, Lawrence & Co. was the agent. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the logbook for this voyage. AV10419
Coddington later served on several ships with New Bedford as home port: he was mate on EUROPA (AS0815) for 1854-1856 voyage and master of FLORIDA (AS0213) for its 1856-1859 and 1859-1863 voyages and ELIZABETH ADAMS (AS0199) for its 1863-1867 voyage. Starbuck records ELIZABETH ADAMS with Coddington as master returning from its voyage on April 22, 1867, a little more than a month before Coddington drowned. Starbuck states that “Captain Fish came home sick”.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text. For more description of the accident leading to Coddington’s death see Whalemen’s Shipping List (7/11/1867) and Norwich (CT) Aurora (6/5/1867, p. 3).
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
July 2025