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Lines of Whaling Ship Built at Rochester, Massachusetts, in 1853. The Reindeer is an excellent exaiBple 

 of the clipper-model whalers built for the Bering Sea whale fishery in the 1850's. Lines taken off builder's 

 half-model USNM 160 124. 



14 feet 2 inches depth in hold, 449^^^5 tons, reg- 

 ister; billet head, no galleries. 

 Given by New Bedford Board of Trade. 



WHALING SHIP, 1853 



Builder's Half-Model, usnm 76323 



Jireh Swift 



The whaling ship Jireh Swift was built from this 

 half-model at Dartmouth, Massachtisetts, in 1853. 

 This ship, one of the superior class of American whal- 

 ing vessels of her time, was noted for her speed and 

 was a good carrier. She was rerigged as a bark in 

 1857, but on her third voyage was captured and i^urn- 

 ed by the Confederate States cruiser Shenandoah in 

 the Arctic Ocean near Bering Strait, June 22, 1865. 

 It is claimed that the Jireh Swift would have outrun 

 the steam cruiser had not the wind failed her. Fast- 

 saUing was required in Bering Sea whaling if a vessel 

 were to escape being trapped by ice floes after a sudden 

 shift of wind. 



The half-model shows a wooden, clipper-hulled 

 ship having rising floors and a slack bilge, a sharp 

 but rather short entrance and a long, fine run. The 

 sheer is rather straight and the keel is straight fore- 

 and-aft; the vessel sailed with moderate drag to the 

 keel. The stem rakes forward rather markedly; 

 the sections in the bow show strong outward flare; 

 the sternpost is nearly upright, and the stern is wide 

 and square, having upper-and-lower transoms with 

 round tuck below. 



The model scales 125 feet over the rails for length, 

 119 feet Customhouse length, 27 feet moulded beam, 

 and 18 feet moulded depth. Scale of half-model is 

 ]i inch to the foot. Customhouse dimensions of the 



Jireh Swift were 122 feet 9 inches length between 

 perpendiculars, 28 feet 7 inches beam, 14 feet 3J4 

 inches depth in hold, and 454^5 tons register; 

 billet head, no galleries. 



Model is painted, with white band and painted 

 ports. 



Given by White & Allen, New Bedford, Massa- 

 chu.setts, 1895. 



WHALING SHIP, 1854 



Builder's Half-Model, usnm 160125 



Onward 



The whaling ship Onward was ijuilt from this half- 

 model in Rochester Township, Massachusetts, for 

 New Bedford owners in 1854. The Onward belonged 

 to the clipper-model class of whaling vessels, built 

 after 1851, designed to have moderate initial stability 

 and sharp ends. A good sailer, the ship w^as very 

 successful. She sailed on her last voyage June 25, 

 1872, and in 1876 was one of a fleet of whalers nipped 

 in the ice north of Bering Strait; there she was aban- 

 doned by her crew before she was crushed. 



The half-model shows a wooden, clipper whaling 

 ship combining sharp lines with great capacity and 

 having a rising floor, an easy bilge, a short but sharp 

 entrance, a long and easy run, flaring bow sections 

 and stem rabbet, a rather upright stern post, a short 

 overhang in the upper-and-lower square transom 

 stern, round tuck, slight sheer, and straight keel with 

 a slight drag. The vessel had a long graceful cut- 

 water with billet head. 



Approximate dimensions to inside of plank, scaled 

 from the half-model, are length over rails about 133 

 feet and beam 27 feet 6 inches. Scale of the model is 



246 



