Part Three: The Demise of Plymouth’s Whaling Fleet

In the 1830s, Plymouth’s whaling fleet reached its zenith. From James Bartlett’s original ventures, the town’s merchants and tradesmen had expanded the undertaking into a respectable flotilla, owned by shifting syndicates and captained by a mix of Nantucket veterans and ambitious locals. In the early 1830s Plymouth was still adding large whalers to its fleet. [ ]