“Stripped Clean by Wind and Water”: Historical and Archaeological Investigation of a Provincetown Plum-Pudding Whaling Company and its Reaction to a Dimming Industry

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dc.contributor.advisorRaupp, Jason T
dc.contributor.authorWentzel, Lindsay Myers
dc.contributor.departmentHistory
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-16T17:29:22Z
dc.date.available2024-01-16T17:29:22Z
dc.date.created2023-12
dc.date.issued2023-12-07
dc.date.submittedDecember 2023
dc.date.updated2024-01-11T20:39:15Z
dc.degree.departmentHistory
dc.degree.disciplineMA-Maritime Studies
dc.degree.grantorEast Carolina University
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.degree.nameM.A.
dc.description.abstractIndustry decline after the 1859 discovery of petroleum prompted American whalers to adopt innovative strategies for survival, such as plum-pudding whaling. Characterized by short, Atlantic expeditions, it minimized risk and proved effective during periods of uncertainty. This thesis employs social risk theory to analyze the operational history of E. & E.K. Cook & Company and the 1879 collapse of their industrial, fishing, and whaling "empire" in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Highlighting the company’s strategic shift to plum-pudding whaling in the 1860s, this study examines distinct features of plum-pudding schooners, discusses internal and external factors contributing to the company's 1879 dissolution, and establishes a theoretical framework for evaluating discrete maritime risk. Through extensive historical research and archaeological surveys of suspected Cook vessel remains, this thesis serves as a case study in understanding the impact of strategic response to crisis and risk during the whaling industry's decline.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10342/13260
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherEast Carolina University
dc.subjectPlum-Pudding Whaling
dc.subjectProvincetown
dc.subjectMaritime History
dc.subjectShipwreck
dc.subjectSeychelle
dc.subjectArchaeology
dc.title“Stripped Clean by Wind and Water”: Historical and Archaeological Investigation of a Provincetown Plum-Pudding Whaling Company and its Reaction to a Dimming Industry
dc.typeMaster's Thesis
dc.type.materialtext

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