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Whale Hunt: The Narrative of a Voyage by Nelson Cole Haley, Harpooner in the Ship Charles W. Morgan 1849-1853
This classic true story of a voyage on the CHARLES W. MORGAN is both a wonderful read and an excellent source of information about American whaling in the 19th century." -Nathaniel Philbrick, author of IN THE HEART OF THE SEA
- GenresHistoryNonfictionTravel
305 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 28, 2025
“Whale Hunt” by Nelson Cole Haley.
This is a first person narrative of a voyage by Nelson Cole Haley, a harpooner in the ship Charles W Morgan, from 1849 to 1853.
A detailed diary, a true story, which has been published into a book. I read this book as part of my maritime history research.
“..a voyage to the South Pacific in search of sperm whales… sailed in the Charles W Morgan, famous New Bedford whaler… during a 4 years cruise.”
Nelson Cole Haley, DOB: 7th March 1832 at New Bedford, MA. His first voyage ship ‘John’ ended after his 16th birthday, in Portland, Maine.
Charles W Morgan (CWM), Captain John D Sampson on a 4-year voyage.
Nelson clearly had a good relationship with his Capt Sampson, who told him about CWM: “one of the crack ships, and belonged to Edward M. Robinson.” (“..nicknamed ‘Black Hawk’.)
He said that Nelson Haley “look young and small for the position. Do you think you could strike a whale?”
Nelson was a boat-steerer/bow oarsman of a whaleboat, his responsibility was to dart irons into the whale. Massive responsibility and how terrifying! Nelson has been practicing on sharks (omg!) and dolphins. He struck his first whale in the South Pacific when he was 17!
“..mastering details of his laborious and dangersome trade..”
“..eye of a 100-barrel whale is about the size of an ox.”
“I chosen by the 2d Mate to steer his boat; and of course that made me in the Starboard watch.”
There also 16 detailed sketches too.
“..the welcome cry from the masthead came rolling down over the belly of the main top sail: ‘There! She Blows!’….’3 miles’….’Sperm whales?’….’Yes, sir, a large school.’…”
“The boat-steerer had his first iron in his hand ready to dart, when the whales head had passed him far enough to reach his body with an iron. (It is impossible to dart an iron into a whale’s head.)..”
“The whale in his pain threw his body half out of the water. With a terrific blow his flukes he sent a volume of snowy water twenty feet into the air, then disappeared, taking the line so fast out of the boat that smoke arose to the surface, rolled, tumbled, ran his head out of water, snapped his jaws together like pistol reports, and dropped under water until his tail teared aloft ten or fifteen feet, thrashing the water into foam that spread over half an acre on the surface. As the other whales went off without out having a chance to strike again, we turned to help kill the Mate’s whale.”
“We soon had him fin out, and set the signal for the ship to come and take him alongside. The wind was fair so the ship ran form and we soon had him tied by the flukes, got up cutting tackle and commenced to cut him in. It took about four hours, as everything was new to most of the men.”
Exciting thing about reading this book is, as I read, I imagine the CWM in action, as I have worked on it myself, know the rooms. It makes you appreciate this brilliant historical journal for what it is. Learning and mastering details of his laborious and dangersome trade.
Page 105
“It was my ‘overboard,’ as it is called. Each boat-steerer has to take his regular turn as whales are caught, and it makes no difference how small or large the whale, or the number taken in any one time; it is his turn until those are cut in..”
“Two large bull whales in one school of whales at the same time is unknown without they would be fighting, when the conquered one would leave instantly. They fight with terrific fury, using their jaws in rushing at each other, something like two men fencing with swords; and cases have been known of whales having their jaws twisted quite out of shape and sometimes broken entirely asunder. I have seen one of two instances of the first kind myself.”
This is a first person narrative of a voyage by Nelson Cole Haley, a harpooner in the ship Charles W Morgan, from 1849 to 1853.
A detailed diary, a true story, which has been published into a book. I read this book as part of my maritime history research.
“..a voyage to the South Pacific in search of sperm whales… sailed in the Charles W Morgan, famous New Bedford whaler… during a 4 years cruise.”
Nelson Cole Haley, DOB: 7th March 1832 at New Bedford, MA. His first voyage ship ‘John’ ended after his 16th birthday, in Portland, Maine.
Charles W Morgan (CWM), Captain John D Sampson on a 4-year voyage.
Nelson clearly had a good relationship with his Capt Sampson, who told him about CWM: “one of the crack ships, and belonged to Edward M. Robinson.” (“..nicknamed ‘Black Hawk’.)
He said that Nelson Haley “look young and small for the position. Do you think you could strike a whale?”
Nelson was a boat-steerer/bow oarsman of a whaleboat, his responsibility was to dart irons into the whale. Massive responsibility and how terrifying! Nelson has been practicing on sharks (omg!) and dolphins. He struck his first whale in the South Pacific when he was 17!
“..mastering details of his laborious and dangersome trade..”
“..eye of a 100-barrel whale is about the size of an ox.”
“I chosen by the 2d Mate to steer his boat; and of course that made me in the Starboard watch.”
There also 16 detailed sketches too.
“..the welcome cry from the masthead came rolling down over the belly of the main top sail: ‘There! She Blows!’….’3 miles’….’Sperm whales?’….’Yes, sir, a large school.’…”
“The boat-steerer had his first iron in his hand ready to dart, when the whales head had passed him far enough to reach his body with an iron. (It is impossible to dart an iron into a whale’s head.)..”
“The whale in his pain threw his body half out of the water. With a terrific blow his flukes he sent a volume of snowy water twenty feet into the air, then disappeared, taking the line so fast out of the boat that smoke arose to the surface, rolled, tumbled, ran his head out of water, snapped his jaws together like pistol reports, and dropped under water until his tail teared aloft ten or fifteen feet, thrashing the water into foam that spread over half an acre on the surface. As the other whales went off without out having a chance to strike again, we turned to help kill the Mate’s whale.”
“We soon had him fin out, and set the signal for the ship to come and take him alongside. The wind was fair so the ship ran form and we soon had him tied by the flukes, got up cutting tackle and commenced to cut him in. It took about four hours, as everything was new to most of the men.”
Exciting thing about reading this book is, as I read, I imagine the CWM in action, as I have worked on it myself, know the rooms. It makes you appreciate this brilliant historical journal for what it is. Learning and mastering details of his laborious and dangersome trade.
Page 105
“It was my ‘overboard,’ as it is called. Each boat-steerer has to take his regular turn as whales are caught, and it makes no difference how small or large the whale, or the number taken in any one time; it is his turn until those are cut in..”
“Two large bull whales in one school of whales at the same time is unknown without they would be fighting, when the conquered one would leave instantly. They fight with terrific fury, using their jaws in rushing at each other, something like two men fencing with swords; and cases have been known of whales having their jaws twisted quite out of shape and sometimes broken entirely asunder. I have seen one of two instances of the first kind myself.”
March 4, 2018
Nelson Cole Haley was a whaleman just at the end of the golden age of whaling, when ships had to go out for three or four years to get enough oil to fill the hold of their ships. This chronicle covers his years as a boatsteerer (or harpooner) on the Charles W. Morgan, which happens to be the last wooden whaling ship in existence and is a highly recommended sight at Mystic Seaport Museum. Nelt, as he is called, excels in that old seaman's past time: spinning yarns. He tells of various adventures at sea as well as in different ports of call. Just as interesting are the everyday details of running the ship. The men are constantly cleaning, repainting, and making and mending various parts of the ship. It made me think that these whalemen must have known something about the eternal complaint of anyone who's kept a house and the never-ending work it entails. Of course, the narrative is peppered with a lot of seaman's jargon about mizzenmasts and jibbooms and yardarms that I know nothing about, but I didn't find if too off-putting. Worse were the parts about killing and cutting out the whales, which were hard to take. Even Nelt doesn't exactly like it, mentioning at one point that they sight the whales playing in the waves and they look to be having so much fun that he hates to interrupt them. It's a brutal business, and he describes it quite a few times (although happily not every time). The real pleasure is to be found in Nelt's conversational tone and authentic voice. It's as if he's sitting right by you, telling you all about what it was like. How lucky for us that he has such a discerning eye and sharp intelligence. I couldn't help but notice how often he recounts himself as the hero of the scene, but I guess that's the advantage of writing your own story!
June 18, 2011
The character of the narrator was for me the most wonderful part of this book, as is generally the case for travel/sea voyage stories. Haley shipped on a 4-year voyage at the age of 12, returned to school for a year, and then embarked as the "boat-steerer" and Harpooner on the second boat (quite a responsible position) at the age of 17. He comes across as an industrious and ambitious man (and apparently did become a captain of his own vessel in later life), but a curious and thoughtful man as well. He speculates on the diets of whales, the origin of atolls, even the age and builders of the stone walls he finds on Rotumah. Unusual for a book of this kind, there is very little reptition in the book. Only his disgust at the production and effects of kava lead him to discuss it twice, Haley being (at least from 17 to 21) a non-drinker.
Adventures include whaling, naturally, but pirate attacks, escapes from cannibals, women masquerading as men to go to sea, sailors marooned in lonely lands, storms, and fearsome sea creatures. Haley can have fun with his stories, as when they are anticipating being boarded by hostile natives in Fiji, he suffers from a toothache and asks the mate, who acts as a surgeon, to pull it:
"'Great guns and bags of gold, who would have thought it? What in the name of Old Moll Row, or any other woman, do youwant it done for just at this time, even if it does ache?'
'Well, I will tell you,' I said. 'If the ship is taken by those fellows, some of us may be saved, and among those I may be one. Now the 2d Mate tells me that about the only thing they have to eat is coconuts. I shall starve to death if my jaws are not in working order.'"
Things do not go well.
"'Such times as these, people must not be too exacting," he said."
(p.135-6)
The book was apparently published to capitalize on tfor the Mystic Seaport, where the Charles W. Morgan on which Haley sailed, is on display.
Adventures include whaling, naturally, but pirate attacks, escapes from cannibals, women masquerading as men to go to sea, sailors marooned in lonely lands, storms, and fearsome sea creatures. Haley can have fun with his stories, as when they are anticipating being boarded by hostile natives in Fiji, he suffers from a toothache and asks the mate, who acts as a surgeon, to pull it:
"'Great guns and bags of gold, who would have thought it? What in the name of Old Moll Row, or any other woman, do youwant it done for just at this time, even if it does ache?'
'Well, I will tell you,' I said. 'If the ship is taken by those fellows, some of us may be saved, and among those I may be one. Now the 2d Mate tells me that about the only thing they have to eat is coconuts. I shall starve to death if my jaws are not in working order.'"
Things do not go well.
"'Such times as these, people must not be too exacting," he said."
(p.135-6)
The book was apparently published to capitalize on tfor the Mystic Seaport, where the Charles W. Morgan on which Haley sailed, is on display.
June 13, 2008
Yes, I can be an animal-lover and also love a book about whaling. Having been to Mystic Seaport nearly every year for the Sea Music Festival as far back as I can remember, this was an amazing find for me. I've walked the _Morgan_'s decks every year, climbed around in her bunks, watched her sails rise and fall to the modern chanteymen at the museum. Reading a firsthand account (with such detail!) of a man who sailed on her for 4 years was incredible. It's so much fun to recognize yarns and traditions (crossing the line being a favorite) and locations from the songs and chanteys I've heard over the years, in their proper context. I only wish I knew my nautical terms better so I wouldn't get hopelessly tangled in the lines, sails, booms, and bows he throws around.
November 24, 2014
Whale Hunt is an unabridged account from Nelson Cole Haley, a harpooner on the Charles W. Morgan. I bought this book at Mystic Seaport after checking out the Morgan's renovation, for research in preparation for the 38th Voyage. While Haley was undoubtably a better harpooner and captain than he was a writer, the anecdotes he told bring the Morgan to life. Even though you know how the story ends (the Charles W. Morgan is currently docked at Mystic Seaport) there are still some intense sections that cause you to fear for the safety of the ship and crew. While Dolin's Leviathan and Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea are better historical overviews of the whaling industry, Haley's account is a unique voice from the time period.
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