Crew list of the ship Hydaspe of New Bedford, 1841, with the abstract of her voyage of 1841-1845

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title
Crew list of the ship Hydaspe of New Bedford, 1841, with the abstract of her voyage of 1841-1845
type
index
date
20 Apr 1841 (the list); voyage 23 Apr 1841 - 14 Apr 1845
repository
New Bedford Free Public Library; American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists (whalinghistory.org)
reference
Crew entry AE069301035; voyage AV06930; Dennis Wood, Abstracts of Whaling Voyages, vol. 1 p. 224
url
https://whalinghistory.org/participate/download/
seen
index
access
public

The crew list of the Hydaspe, ship, 313 tons, of New Bedford, Francis M. Post master, Daniel Wood agent, dated 20 Apr 1841, as the American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists database has it: "Richard B. Holbrook," rank "Ordinary" (ordinary seaman), lay 1/155. No age, residence or description is given for him. Read 13 Oct 2026 in the database download.

Dennis Wood's abstract of the voyage (vol. 1 p. 224, scan, read from the image): "Post Master Sailed April 23. 1841 for the Pacific Ocean ... At Fayal Augst 3 landed 95 Bbls Sperm Oil ... At Swan River in Decemr in pursuit of a Boats crew which deserted her off the coast four hundred miles from land, had succeeded in taking three of the men & was in pursuit of the others. Left Swan River a few days previous to March 1/42 clean. At Maui in Novmr 150. At Lahaina in Novmr 200 ... At Tahita June 26. 600 Sp. Sailed from ditto latter part of July ... Heard from off New Zealand Feby 15 ... bound to N.W. Coast. Heard from on N.W. Coast in June ... At Lahaina Octr 24. 850 Sp. 850 Wh. Arrived April 14. 1845 with 850 Bbls Sperm & 850 Bbls Whale Oil in 47 Months 21 days."

Her abstract log in Maury's series (National Archives, RG 27, M1160, vol. 37; catalog), whose index was read from the image 13 Oct 2026, gives her whole route: from 30° S in the Atlantic to Geographe Bay, Western Australia (24 Sept - 26 Nov 1841); to Ascension, now Pohnpei, in the Carolines (15 Dec 1841 - 7 May 1842); to "Mowee" (20 May - 21 Oct 1842); to "Otaheita" (4 Nov 1842 - 24 June 1843); back to Ascension (1 Aug - 24 Nov 1843); to "Opolo, Navigators," Upolu in Samoa (4 Dec 1843 - 31 Mar 1844); from 36° N in the Pacific to Lahaina (19 May - 22 Oct 1844); and from Lahaina round Cape Horn to 30° S in the Atlantic (15 Nov 1844 - 22 Feb 1845): "Whole No. 1088 days." The daily pages were read for the archive but not yet checked here (Cape of Good Hope early in October 1841, Pleasant Island and Strong's Island in 1842-43, Cape Horn at the end of January 1845). Out by the Cape of Good Hope and home by Cape Horn, she sailed round the world. Starbuck (History of the American Whale Fishery, 1878, pp. 374-375) has her home on 14 Apr 1845 with 850 sperm, 850 whale and 8,000 lbs of bone. Three pages of the log are in the Gallery (abstract-log-hydaspe-1841-1845), with Wood's page (abstract-hydaspe-1841-1845).

The name with its middle initial, and the ordinary seaman's rating that a man four years at sea would have, fit Richard Blackmer Holbrook of Plymouth, then nineteen; the list itself doesn't say where this Richard B. Holbrook was from.

The passage from Geographe Bay to Ascension, 1841-42, from the daily pages of the abstract log (images 776-780, read 14 Oct 2026; the remarks column, with the noon positions):

  • 26 Nov 1841 (33° 20' S, 115° 30' E): "Anchored in Geographe Bay." 15 Dec: "Stood out to Sea."
  • 17 Jan 1842 (44° 35' S, 140° 00' E), after strong gales and squalls: "Saw whales." 19 Jan (45° 18' S, 145° 30' E), below Tasmania: rainy, light airs and fog.
  • 5 Feb (34° 04' S, 173° 10' E): "Saw the 'Three Kings'."
  • 10-11 Feb (30° S, 178° 40' W): "Saw French Rock," "Macauley & Curtis Rock" (the Kermadec Islands).
  • 20 Feb (22° 20' S, 176° 00' W): "Saw Pylstarts [?] bearing S.W. by W., dist. 12 miles" (Pylstaart, now 'Ata, Tonga).
  • 5-6 Mar (14° 20' S, 178° 05' W): "Saw Hoorn [?] Islands," "Laying off & on" (Futuna and Alofi).
  • 13-14 Mar: "saw Eg [?] Islands," "Lynx [?]." 20 Mar (1° 25' S, 174° 35' E): "Saw Drummond's Isld" (Tabiteuea). 24 Mar: "Chased whales, & saw Hall's Isld, 10 miles dist." (Maiana). 28 Mar: "Saw Gilbert's & Knox's Islands" (the Kingsmill group, now Kiribati).
  • 2 Apr: "Chased whales. Ocean Island W.N.W. dist. 35 miles." 4 Apr (0° 40' S, 169° 40' E): "Laying off & on Ocean Island" (Banaba).
  • 15 Apr (0° 17' S, 167° 10' E): "Cruising off & on Pleasant Isld" (Nauru).
  • 1 May (5° 19' N, 163° 20' E): "Saw Strong's Islands" (Kosrae). 6 May: "Saw Ascension." 7 May: "Rainy, Anchored at Ascension, in 12 Fathoms." 21 May: "Saw Raven's Islands."

She made no port between Geographe Bay and Ascension.

  1. ---
  2. title: "Crew list of the ship Hydaspe of New Bedford, 1841, with the abstract of her voyage of 1841-1845"
  3. type: index
  4. date: 20 Apr 1841 (the list); voyage 23 Apr 1841 - 14 Apr 1845
  5. repository: "New Bedford Free Public Library; American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists (whalinghistory.org)"
  6. reference: "Crew entry AE069301035; voyage AV06930; Dennis Wood, Abstracts of Whaling Voyages, vol. 1 p. 224"
  7. url: "https://whalinghistory.org/participate/download/"
  8. seen: index
  9. access: public
  10. ---
  12. The crew list of the Hydaspe, ship, 313 tons, of New Bedford, Francis M. Post master, Daniel Wood
  13. agent, dated 20 Apr 1841, as the American Offshore Whaling Crew Lists database has it: "Richard B.
  14. Holbrook," rank "Ordinary" (ordinary seaman), lay 1/155. No age, residence or description is given
  15. for him. Read 13 Oct 2026 in the database download.
  17. Dennis Wood's abstract of the voyage (vol. 1 p. 224, [scan](https://archive.org/details/abstractsofwhali1183denn/page/n261),
  18. read from the image): "Post Master Sailed April 23. 1841 for the Pacific Ocean ... At Fayal Augst 3
  19. landed 95 Bbls Sperm Oil ... At Swan River in Decemr in pursuit of a Boats crew which deserted her off
  20. the coast four hundred miles from land, had succeeded in taking three of the men & was in pursuit of
  21. the others. Left Swan River a few days previous to March 1/42 clean. At Maui in Novmr 150. At Lahaina
  22. in Novmr 200 ... At Tahita June 26. 600 Sp. Sailed from ditto latter part of July ... Heard from off
  23. New Zealand Feby 15 ... bound to N.W. Coast. Heard from on N.W. Coast in June ... At Lahaina Octr 24.
  24. 850 Sp. 850 Wh. Arrived April 14. 1845 with 850 Bbls Sperm & 850 Bbls Whale Oil in 47 Months 21 days."
  26. Her abstract log in Maury's series (National Archives, RG 27, M1160, vol. 37; [catalog](https://catalog.archives.gov/id/454786670?objectPage=772)),
  27. whose index was read from the image 13 Oct 2026, gives her whole route: from 30° S in the Atlantic to
  28. Geographe Bay, Western Australia (24 Sept - 26 Nov 1841); to Ascension, now Pohnpei, in the Carolines
  29. (15 Dec 1841 - 7 May 1842); to "Mowee" (20 May - 21 Oct 1842); to "Otaheita" (4 Nov 1842 - 24 June
  30. 1843); back to Ascension (1 Aug - 24 Nov 1843); to "Opolo, Navigators," Upolu in Samoa (4 Dec 1843 -
  31. 31 Mar 1844); from 36° N in the Pacific to Lahaina (19 May - 22 Oct 1844); and from Lahaina round Cape
  32. Horn to 30° S in the Atlantic (15 Nov 1844 - 22 Feb 1845): "Whole No. 1088 days." The daily pages
  33. were read for the archive but not yet checked here (Cape of Good Hope early in October 1841, Pleasant
  34. Island and Strong's Island in 1842-43, Cape Horn at the end of January 1845). Out by the Cape of Good
  35. Hope and home by Cape Horn, she sailed round the world. Starbuck (*History of the American Whale
  36. Fishery*, 1878, pp. 374-375) has her home on 14 Apr 1845 with 850 sperm, 850 whale and 8,000 lbs of
  37. bone. Three pages of the log are in the Gallery (`abstract-log-hydaspe-1841-1845`), with Wood's page
  38. (`abstract-hydaspe-1841-1845`).
  40. The name with its middle initial, and the ordinary seaman's rating that a man four years at sea
  41. would have, fit Richard Blackmer Holbrook of Plymouth, then nineteen; the list itself doesn't say
  42. where this Richard B. Holbrook was from.
  44. **The passage from Geographe Bay to Ascension, 1841-42**, from the daily pages of the abstract log
  45. (images 776-780, read 14 Oct 2026; the remarks column, with the noon positions):
  47. - 26 Nov 1841 (33° 20' S, 115° 30' E): "Anchored in Geographe Bay." 15 Dec: "Stood out to Sea."
  48. - 17 Jan 1842 (44° 35' S, 140° 00' E), after strong gales and squalls: "Saw whales." 19 Jan
  49. (45° 18' S, 145° 30' E), below Tasmania: rainy, light airs and fog.
  50. - 5 Feb (34° 04' S, 173° 10' E): "Saw the 'Three Kings'."
  51. - 10-11 Feb (30° S, 178° 40' W): "Saw French Rock," "Macauley & Curtis Rock" (the Kermadec Islands).
  52. - 20 Feb (22° 20' S, 176° 00' W): "Saw Pylstarts [?] bearing S.W. by W., dist. 12 miles" (Pylstaart,
  53. now 'Ata, Tonga).
  54. - 5-6 Mar (14° 20' S, 178° 05' W): "Saw Hoorn [?] Islands," "Laying off & on" (Futuna and Alofi).
  55. - 13-14 Mar: "saw Eg [?] Islands," "Lynx [?]." 20 Mar (1° 25' S, 174° 35' E): "Saw Drummond's Isld"
  56. (Tabiteuea). 24 Mar: "Chased whales, & saw Hall's Isld, 10 miles dist." (Maiana). 28 Mar: "Saw
  57. Gilbert's & Knox's Islands" (the Kingsmill group, now Kiribati).
  58. - 2 Apr: "Chased whales. Ocean Island W.N.W. dist. 35 miles." 4 Apr (0° 40' S, 169° 40' E):
  59. "Laying off & on Ocean Island" (Banaba).
  60. - 15 Apr (0° 17' S, 167° 10' E): "Cruising off & on Pleasant Isld" (Nauru).
  61. - 1 May (5° 19' N, 163° 20' E): "Saw Strong's Islands" (Kosrae). 6 May: "Saw Ascension." 7 May:
  62. "Rainy, Anchored at Ascension, in 12 Fathoms." 21 May: "Saw Raven's Islands."
  64. She made no port between Geographe Bay and Ascension.

Pictures

Abstract log of the whaler Hydaspe, Francis Post master, 1841-1845Abstract log of the whaler Hydaspe, Francis Post master, 1841-1845Dennis Wood's abstract of the Hydaspe's voyages, 1837-1845Dennis Wood's abstract of the Hydaspe's voyages, 1837-1845

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