Captain Samuel Harris's document box
Datec 1842
Object number00005554
NameBox
MediumWood, metal
DimensionsOverall: 327 x 536 x 350 mm, 6.1 kg
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection
Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionDocument box bearing the initials 'S.H' standing for Samuel Harris, captain of the American whaling ship PHOEBE of Nantucket.HistoryIn the 19th century American whalers sailed south to the rich Pacific whaling grounds in search of sperm whales. During the 1840s several hundred ships pursued whales off the coast of Australia. Many called into Australian ports for repairs or supplies after a voyage half-way around the world. Meeting a whaler was the first contact many colonists had with an American.
Whaling master Samuel Harris cleared Nantucket on September 19, 1842. Some four years and three months later on December 24, 1846, Harris and his crew made port at Pernambuco with a badly leaking ship. The ship was condemned at Pernambuco and the crew forced to abandon its mission. Whale oil valued at about $5,200 was sold at Pernambuco and Sydney, Australia. Additional whale oil and sperm oil worth about $42,000 was transferred to another vessel for transportation to Nantucket. Although their ship was lost through condemnation, Harris and his crew had obtained a large haul of oil.SignificanceThe PHOEBE of Nantucket visited Hobart and Sydney in March/April 1846 with Samuel Harris as master. This document box, a personal item of Samuel Harris, helps to demonstrate the presence of American whalers in Australian waters in the 19th century.
mid 19th century
