Question: What is an attachment? Attachments are Notes written directly on, or appended to, the Whalemen's Shipping List or Crew List, signed by Consular Officials from various ports throughout the voyage, certifying the discharge, desertion, sickness, of men on the original listing of crew members. Similarly any additions to crew were also so certified by statement "on at-------" followed by the port. Question: What does a Boatsteerer do? Boatsteerer, Boat-Steerer is a petty officer aboard a whaling vessel, the harpooner. Upon casting the harpoon and making a hit he exchanges positions with the officer who leaves the steering oar of the whale boat and comes forward to lance the whale. Question: What does a cooper do? Cooper is a man who made barrels for provisions, water and whale oil barrels either aboard ship or ashore. Question: What is a Crew List? Crew List is a printed document containing the names and physical description of every member of the ships' company. "List of Persons," "List of the Company," is most usually the title across the top of this document. Name of ship, port of registry, master's name (captain), destination (whaling ground), and tonnage appear first followed by a complete list of all crew members giving names, ages, residence or place of birth, physical description (height, complexion tone, hair and eye color), and rank or position aboard ship. Question: What is a Whalemen Shipping Paper? Whalemen's Shipping Paper is a fairly large format printed document usually on heavy grade paper with "Whalemen's Shipping Paper" printed across the top. Conditions of agreement are printed beneath the heading followed by (in columns) crew members' signature (or mark), date signed, his position aboard ship, agreed upon lay or rate of pay, and a witness' signature. These documents are printed locally at various ports so there is little standardization in size or content. Frequently, Attachments or notes signed by Consular Officials at different ports are written directly on the documents' verso or margins, certifying discharges, desertions, changes of master or promotions within crew. Question: What is a First Mate? First Mate is the second in command aboard a whaling vessel. He can assume command should the captain be unable. Question: What is a Green Hand? Green hand, Greenhand, Greenie is an inexperienced crew member on his first voyage. Question: What towns are included in the New Bedford Custom District? New Bedford Custom District was created on July 31, 1789 as number 10 of fifty nine such districts, as provided by an Act of the First Congress of the United States. The district was designated by the Act to "include all waters and shores within the towns of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Westport, Rochester, and Wareham, together with all the islands within the county of Bristol." So this would include: Dartmouth Fairhaven Mattapoisett New Bedford Rochester Sippican (later Marion) Wareham Westport Question: What does an Oarsman do? Oarsman - man occupying any of the oar positions aboard a whale boat, such as Bow Oar (second oar next to the harpooner, After Oar (stroke oar of the whale boat), etc., with the exception of the Harpoon Oar which is the station of the Boat Steerer. Question; What is a Shipkeeper? Shipkeeper - most frequently the cooper, a man who acts as sailing master of the vessel while whale boats are away. Question: What does a Steward do? Steward oversees the commissary of a vessel. He is in charge of the cook. Question: What does "did not ship" mean? "Did not ship" means the man signed as crew aboard the vessel but did not present himself aboard that vessel at the appointed sailing time. The named crewman was unaccounted for at the time the vessel left port. Question: What does "did not return" mean? When the vessel returned to port at the end of the voyage, the named man was not aboard the vessel. There are several possible reasons for a "did not return" comment; discharge, desertion, transferal to another ship to assume duties necessary for that ship. Being unaccounted for could mean a man was missing, fell overboard, or simply completed his contractual agreement a some point during the voyage and did not return to the port of departure. Question: What is a "Lay"? A "Lay" is a whaler crewmen's pay; a share of earnings for the voyage. Question: What does a "Landsman" do? A "Landsman" is a crewman with no shipboard experience; another term for a "Greenhand." Question: Why do vessel name spellings sometimes differ? Ship names are transcribed directly from Whalemen's Shipping Papers or Crew Lists. Indexers have not corrected, inferred, or changed spelling, but have kept the spelling exactly as it appears on the original documents. If you are having difficulty finding a specific vessel, check our TIP on Ship Names. Question: Why do some crew lists have blank fields? Information is taken directly from the original documents. As a rule, Whalemen's Shipping Papers seem to include only crewmen's names, rank, lay and attachments. Crew Lists (Lists of Persons) tend to give physical descriptions but do not to give rank, lay or attachments. Question: Where can I find more information on vessels? Additional resources are available at the New Bedford Free Public Library and at the collaborating institutions' libraries. For information on the vessels such as: where a vessel was built; what and when was its last voyage; when and why a vessel was decommissioned, etc., Ship Registers are available for further research and/or a Ship Log may be available that will give day-to-day account of the voyage. Also the maritime newspaper The Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchant Transcript may contain articles about a particular vessel or an event that occurred during a specific voyage. Contact the Library or its collaborating institutions for additional information on whaling vessels, or voyages.