The Great Ships

The Great Ships series examines the history of the world's shipbuilding. This maritime history provides an in-depth look at how the great ships of the past created a history of their own-one that helped determine the historical course of events. Each program explores the contributions of a particular type of vessel, and how that vessel helped to shape and define its era.

The Great Ships would be useful for classes on American History, World History, Maritime History, Cultural History and Science and Technology. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

The Whalers

Whalers is a vivid history of the American whaling industry from early Native American fishermen to the rise of the Yankee clipper ships sailing out of New England ports to the industry's decline in the late nineteenth century. It recounts the stories of some of the industry's most renowned voyages. Along with a detailed discussion of the hunt and the processing of whales on the open seas, the documentary examines the lives of crew members and their families, details advances in the design of the whaling ships, and traces the industry's global voyages. It is recommended for middle and high school students interested in nineteenth century and maritime history, and American literature studies.It is recommended for middle and high school students interested in nineteenth century and maritime history, and American literature studies.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is the Yankee Whaler called "the first floating factory?"

  2. How did the discovery of sperm whales transform the New England whaling industry? What was different about sperm whales? Why was it important to have the tryworks on board the ship?

  3. What types of work were performed on the Yankee whalers? What did the crew eat? Where did the crew, captain and mates sleep? What did they smell? Why was life on board a whaling ship more dangerous than work on a merchant ship?

  4. How did the whaling industry effect immigration to the United States?

  5. How were whaling crews paid? Why did some crew members complete a voyage and find themselves in debt? Why were young men willing to sign on to the crew of a whaling ship knowing that it might be several years before they earned a living from the work?

  6. Describe the hunt. How was the whale captured and killed? What did the crew on board do with the whale after it was killed?

  7. Why was whaling such a profitable industry? What products were derived from whales?

  8. How did mail from a crew on board a whaling ship reach families and friends on shore?

  9. Why did the whaling industry decline in the late nineteenth century? How did the discovery of petroleum effect whaling?

  10. What was life like for the wives of captains and crew members?

  11. Many different races worked together on board whaling ships. Why was this unusual during the nineteenth century?
Extended Activities

  1. Imagine you are a crew member or captain or wife of a captain on board a whaling ship. Write a series of journal entries in which you describe your life on board the ship. Discuss your fears about the safety of the voyage and describe some of the places you visit in search of whales.

  2. Herman Melville's Moby Dick is considered great literature, yet maritime historians also treat it as a primary document, which provides evidence concerning daily life on a whaling ship. Read several chapters of Moby Dick and write an essay in which you analyze the evidence Melville provides. Do you consider his work an accurate portrayal of the whaling industry? What were Melville's sources for information about whaling? In what ways can a novel, which we know is fiction, contribute to our knowledge of history?

  3. The design of the Yankee whaler was complex and efficient. Draw a picture or make a scale model of a Yankee whaler, including the tryworks, fishing boats, and the interior rooms below deck.
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Classroom Materials