Whale Ship Outfitting Book. Bark D(r). Franklin. 1861.
Ephemera
12mo. 34 pages of printed entries with manuscript annotations, followed by blanks, several of which contain manuscript notes.
Price: $650
The “Franklin” was a 171 ton whaleship built Dartmouth in 1831 and sold at Tulcahuano in 1864. On this voyage she departed from New Bedford for the Indian Ocean in November 1861. Starbuck reports, “Bought from Westport 1861; sent home 250 sperm and 150 whale; sold at Tulcahuano 1864, to fit under the Chilean flag.” So this would have been her final voyage as an American whaler. These outfitting books were issued by ship chandleries for the use of people responsible for provisioning whale ships. Printed in the book, by category, is every item or sort of clothing or food that might be needed on a whaling voyage. The shopper entered the amount needed next to the item, and it was provided by the chandlery. This has been done here, throughout the book, so we get a more or less complete idea of the supplies the “Franklin” took with her. In addition there are five pages of manuscript notes and instructions (presumably from an owner) at the back of the book.