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Copyright 2012 Rosa S. Lee
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The
Morgan is the last wooden whaling ship of its kind in the world. It is currently being restored at
Mystic Seaport Museum, its home now. Documenting the restoration process has been an inspiring and learning experience.
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| Copyright 2012 Rosa S. Lee |
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| Copyright 2012 Rosa S. Lee |
The curved structural support called, knees, of whaling ships need to be built from live oak, a long lived short growing tree with strong thick branches.
Mystic Seaport has been very fortunate to receive donations of fallen live oak from hurricane Katrina to renew the life of the
Morgan.
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| Copyright 2012 Rosa S. Lee
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To cut a piece of the live oak the restoration crew needs a team of people to use a pulley and position the live oak on the giant saw to cut it.
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| Copyright 2012 Rosa S. Lee |
After the live oak is cut, it is hand finished to fit where the knee was originally. The carpenters use the previous knee as a template and choose the piece that's closest in shape to it. Then it is hand finished to match the old knee and fitted into it's spot. The Morgan is an organic puzzle with individual pieces that forms the ship. The process of restoring the Morgan requires the skillful labor of incredible craftsmen who and intimate knowledge of every inch of the Morgan.
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