Lagoda
The Lagoda was the most successful whaler of its time. She was owned by the New Bedford whaling shipping company, originally built in 1826 as a merchant ship, she was converted into a whaler in 1841 after 15 years of service. She was built from durable oak and her squat, tub-shaped hull was just right for whaling. In New Bedford she was equipped with five fishing boats that hung on davits over the side. Their rigging was that of a full-ship in a Bark changed, it that at the mizzen now fore- led. This rigging was preferred by whalers, because with this type of rigging nobody had to go up to operate the mizzen mast, and more seamen were available to manned the fishing boats. Its side walls were painted with a wide, horizontal, white stripe, interrupted by black squares. From a distance these squares looked like gun ports and were used to deter pirates . From her first trip she brought home the yield of 2,700 barrels of oil and about eight tons of whalebone . It served under various captains for 50 years and brought in 31,409 barrels of oil and 121 tons of whalebone during that time. In 1890 she was so badly hit by a storm in the North Pacific that she was badly damaged and with the last of her strength reached Yokohama , where she served as a bunker until she was dismantled .