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Description
Captain Henry Gillespie (1857-1937), of Portland, Maine, went to sea as a young man of 17, serving as "able-bodied seaman" on a New Bedford whaler. Over the next 47 years he would advance to deck officer, then master of sailing and steam ships. He was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy during World War I, commanding vessels operating in the war zone. Following the war, he returned to merchant marine service until his retirement in 1921.
Maritime historian Michael Jay Mjelde has chronicled the colorful life and career of this "down-east" man of the sea, mining available first-person accounts, interviews with family members, government records, and maritime archives on both coasts. The result is a narrative in clear, highly engaging prose that puts readers on the tilting decks and noisy wharfs frequented by Gillespie. Through Mjelde's retelling of a remarkable life, the age of clipper ships, the Cape Horn trade, and oceangoing steamers comes into vivid relief, affording a richly embossed assessment of Captain Gillespie's life and times.
From Whaler to Clipper Ship adds a layer of full-bodied context to our understanding of this pivotal era in American maritime history. The wealth of detail will appeal to scholars, students, and maritime history enthusiasts.
Author: Michael Jay Mjelde
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Published: 07/20/2023
Pages: 456
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.42lbs
Size: 10.08h x 7.09w x 1.26d
ISBN13: 9781648431128
ISBN10: 1648431127
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Aviation & Nautical
- History | Maritime History & Piracy
- History | Military | Naval
Maritime historian Michael Jay Mjelde has chronicled the colorful life and career of this "down-east" man of the sea, mining available first-person accounts, interviews with family members, government records, and maritime archives on both coasts. The result is a narrative in clear, highly engaging prose that puts readers on the tilting decks and noisy wharfs frequented by Gillespie. Through Mjelde's retelling of a remarkable life, the age of clipper ships, the Cape Horn trade, and oceangoing steamers comes into vivid relief, affording a richly embossed assessment of Captain Gillespie's life and times.
From Whaler to Clipper Ship adds a layer of full-bodied context to our understanding of this pivotal era in American maritime history. The wealth of detail will appeal to scholars, students, and maritime history enthusiasts.
Author: Michael Jay Mjelde
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Published: 07/20/2023
Pages: 456
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.42lbs
Size: 10.08h x 7.09w x 1.26d
ISBN13: 9781648431128
ISBN10: 1648431127
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Aviation & Nautical
- History | Maritime History & Piracy
- History | Military | Naval
About the Author
MICHAEL JAY MJELDE is the author of Glory of the Seas and Clipper Ship Captain. Formerly the editor of The Sea Chest, a regional journal of maritime history, he lives in Bremerton, Washington.
