![]() ![]() They owned or chartered vessels that carried desired goods. They bought and sold, at home and abroad, on their own account and often handled ‘private adventures’ on the side. Colonial merchants were more than shopkeepers or commission dealers. A wealthy class of merchants developed about the same time, supported by the steady growth of Massachusetts shipping. “By 1660, shipbuilding had become a leading industry in the towns of Newburyport, Ipswich, Gloucester, Salem and Boston. The Marine Mammals of the North-western Coast of North America: Together with an Account of the American Whale-fishery. The whaling business was more tolerant of African Americans then other professions, and afforded them opportunities to rise and become successful, even as far as becoming captains.* The Industry had an all-black crew and sailed in 1822. Many sailors on whaling voyages were also African American, especially in the 1800s. At times the whole crew, with the exception of the captain, might be natives. Of those sailing from New England many sailors were Native Americans. Some sailors on whaling vessels were seeking their fortune and hoping to become captains someday, others wanted adventure, others were just looking for a chance to change their lives. By the 19th century, about 90% of all United States Navy sailors had tattoos. Sailors where some of the first people to bring back the art of tattooing which they picked up from indigenious tribes in the pacific. The schooner fleets were replaced by steam-powered trawlers around the turn of the century, and stocks began to noticeably decline by around 1930, though the fishing industry lived on.įrom about 1650-about 1900, New Englanders ventured from Greenland and the North Atlantic around Cape Horn to the Pacific in search of whales for the lucrative whale oil industry. Catches of salt cod supported nearly 400 schooners in each of these ports, and a multitude of shore-side businesses including salt mining, ice harvesting in fresh-water ponds, and a boat building industry that made the shipyards on the Essex River among the busiest and best known in the world. Once, great fleets of vessels sailed from Gloucester and Boston to the eastern- most reaches of North America - the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Atlantic cod, halibut, ocean perch, Haddock and Yellowtail Flounder once fed millions of Americans. ![]() Groundfishing, the catching of fishes that swim in close proximity to the bottom, was the first colonial industry in America. PORT & STARBOARD ship lights were tattooed on the left (port) and right (starboard) side of the body.A GOLDEN DRAGON denotes a seaman who has crossed the International Date Line.A SHELLBACK TURTLE was for crossing the equator.A FULL-RIGGED SHIP showed the seaman had sailed around Cape Horn.ROPE tattooed around the wrist indicated a deckhand.A PIG on the top of one foot and a ROOSTER on the other, as protection from drowning: as neither of these animals can swim, they would want to get the seaman out of the water.A DRAGON showed the seaman had been to China.A HARPOON refers to a member of the fishing fleet.This is said to help the seaman better hold the rigging. HOLD, on the knuckles of one hand and FAST, on the other.A MERMAID symbolizes the lure of the sea, or the sailor’s wish for companionship.An ANCHOR showed the seaman had sailed the Atlantic Ocean or the sailor had been in the Merchant Marines. It is one of oldest symbols used in tattoos. The ANCHOR itself has been around since the time of the Sumerians in 2000 – 2500 BC.It is the North Star and sailors would use it as a bearing to get home thus by wearing this symbol it would help them find a way home. NAUTICAL STARS symbolize protection, guidance, loyalty, and honor.During the American Revolution, privateers and blockade runners sailed from Long Wharf. Boston was established as a seaport, and throughout its history was a hub for immigration and trade, fishing, whaling, and the Navy. ![]()
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