Thanks Albert and thanks everyone for the likes and for looking in. Just when I get a good head of steam, I’ll be taking a break for five days. We’re going up to the mountains to go hiking with the family.
Bill
Bill
Yes, there were changes to the transom over time. The lower picture that shows the two windows in the transom is the earlier one. One source I read mentioned that there was an accident at one point when someone put the bow of a whaleboat astern through one of the windows. At that point the windows were removed and the two small round scuttles replaced them. I am unsure and can't say when the carved eagle was mounted on the transom. It appears contemporaneously with the round scuttles in all the pictures I've ever seen. I've never seen the eagle on the windowed transom.
As with most working vessels, changes were continuous throughout the Morgan's working life. I have been unable to locate/re-locate information on the hurricane house, although I have a recollection reading somewhere that it was added following her launching, But for the life of me, I can't recall where in my library it might be. The hurricane house is the boxed in poop deck structure that contains the galley and, IIRC at the moment, the bosun's cabin. It just doesn't look like it was designed along with the rest of the ship, although it makes perfect sense as it provides shelter for the helmsman and additional flat storage for boats and spars.
I have also read in a book on the Morgan that as launched she carried her windlass directly abaft the foremast, but that the windlass was later relocated on the foredeck forward of the foremast. While at first glance, one might expect the windlass where it is currently found in the bows, placing it aft of the foremast would make perfect sense because that's where it would be most convenient for use at sea handling the flensing hooks and gear and the windlass would get far more use in that enterprise than in handling the ground tackle. Notably, the Morgan's anchor rode chains are led aft to the chain locker chain pipes located on deck to port and starboard of the mainmast. While there's perhaps some advantage to weight distribution stowing the chain amidships, it would seem that there would be sufficient other weight stowed to counterbalance the chain were it to be stowed further forward. It does seem to be un-seamanlike to have the anchor chain laying on deck between the windlass forward and the mainmast, right through the middle of the tri-works area.
If anybody can provide more information on what the Morgan looked like as built in 1840, I'd be very interested to know. The Morgan is one of my "back burner" research projects for a future scratch build depicting her as she was originally when launched. (The world is full of Morgan models of her later configurations.) I have the old Marine Models plans which were drawn up in the late 1930's, IIRC, shortly before she was transferred to Mystic Seaport. I don't have the Mystic Seaport drawings, although they are as she is presently, or as of her last major restoration, I believe, which isn't exactly what I'm looking for. If anybody can steer me to some relevant information, I'd be much obliged.