Schooners Charles Colgate Elephant Seal Hunt 1867-1869: Bound for Desolation

Science Center K209

This past summer I helped a former professor continue his research at the Pequot Museum in Eastern CT. The research falls under the umbrella of the Indian Mariners Project which explores the narratives and legacies of New England Native peoples at sea. The bulk of my time was spent recreating the route and voyage of the Schooner Charles Colgate out of New London, CT, the global center of whale oil exports. On this vessel was a Pequot man named Austin George, a notorious whaler, which is why this particular voyage is of interest. what is less well known about NL whaling history is that for a few decade period, whale hunters resorted to hunting elephant seals in the southern Indian Ocean to meet the high demand for oil. In essence the research I was doing was a map making project in the context of 1860s New London oil markets but with the unusual twist of focusing on the elephant seal hunting.