Voyage of the Two Brothers - Korea's first encounter with Americans (part one)

New Bedford, Mass., in the late 19th century. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

On June 14, 1854, the schooner Two Brothers, a whaling ship under the command of Captain John D. Childs, left its home port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, bound for the rich whaling grounds of the northern Pacific Ocean, and its brief footnote in Korean history.

New Bedford was then one the centers of American whaling operations for both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Every year great fleets of fishing and whaling ships left this port crewed by seasoned salts and young, inexperienced men seeking their fortunes and adventure on the world's high seas. Unfortunately, many of these young men never returned ― lost at sea. The Two Brothers was no exception.

The ship was built in 1816 and probably served as a small merchant vessel before it was bought in 1831 and refitted as a whaler. The early years of this whaling ship are unclear but it probably hunted whales on three-year expeditions in the Pacific Ocean and the southern seas.

The Wanderer in the early 20th century. Library of Congress Collection No. 2002710422

According to records, the Two Brothers went on an expedition in the Pacific in 1847 under the command of Captain Isaac H. Jenny, and again in 1851. It returned to New Bedford on March 16, 1854, and spent only three months repairing, resupplying and hiring a new crew, before setting out again on June 14.

The men hired for this new crew were, judging from the records, inexperienced ― in fact, for most, this was their first voyage on a whaler. There were, however, two notable exceptions: third mate John Smith, who had served as second mate on the previous expedition, and B.P Dunphy, who had served aboard the ship since at least 1847, primarily as the ship keeper.

Even the captain was new; this was his first command, but he was far from inexperienced. His career at New Bedford appears to have begun in 1846, when he signed up as a "boat-steerer" on the whaling bark Janet for its whaling expedition in the Atlantic Ocean.

He was back in New Bedford for less than a month before he signed on as fourth mate on the whaler Henry Kneeland and spent his next three years hunting whales in the Indian Ocean. He returned to New Bedford in May 1851, but by the end of June had found a position as second mate on the whaler Scotland and spent almost three years hunting whales in the northern Pacific Ocean. He returned to New Bedford on April 25, 1854, and in just a little over a month had secured his first command ― the Two Brothers.

A print of Honolulu harbor in 1854. Library of Congress Collection No. 2003681551

Unfortunately there are no known portraits of him and the surviving records do not give his physical description, but ― in my imagination ― he was a tough man, weathered and hardened by the elements and a survivor of events that the newer and younger men could only anticipate with excitement and apprehension. He was a man they could depend on but he also possessed a dark side. The deference showed to him by the crew may have been inspired by fear rather than respect. Childs was allegedly brutal with his punishments and abusive.

The Two Brothers made its way around South America and possibly went on to San Francisco or sailed straight to the Sandwich Islands [Hawaii] ― the major American whaling supply port in the Pacific Ocean. When they arrived they found the harbor filled with whaling ships ― mainly American, but also a few Prussian and British ships as well. Hawaii was a rough port during this period, its harbor and port filled with sailors seeking female companionship and other baser entertainments.

Before the opening of Japan, it was one of the few places in the Pacific where American whaling vessels could be easily resupplied. Here they took on supplies and gathered the latest information on the weather, the recent opening of Japan to the West and the subsequent Russian-Japanese negotiations.

Life aboard a whaling ship was not easy. It was extremely dangerous and every year a large number of whaling ships failed to return to their home ports ― lost forever in the seas. Whaling in the northern Pacific was no exception, if not more dangerous. The waters were relatively uncharted and weather conditions severe, especially storms that had a tendency to appear suddenly and sink unsuspecting ships ― their fates forever unknown.

Sealing vessels in the Arctic in the late 19th century. Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

However, the biggest concerns were probably supplies and safe anchorages. The Russian government was determined to muscle the American whalers out of the northern waters ― not so much by force but by depriving them of supply ports.

Alaska at this time was Russian territory and even if the American whalers were able to avoid the Russian authorities, the native Alaskans were less than willing to welcome "the hellships," a name they gave to the Western whaling ships, due to their syphilis-infected crews and the poor quality of alcohol they brought and either gave or sold to the natives.

Japan, even after Perry opened it to the West, was still relatively hostile to shipwrecked sailors, and occasional accounts of survivors being imprisoned or executed can be found here and there in the newspapers and books of this period. And as for Korea, its alleged treatment of foreigners (other than Chinese or Japanese) was said to be even worse.

It was in the late summer of 1855 when the Two Brothers sailed along the coast of Japan and then into the East Sea/Sea of Japan and up along the Korean east coast in search of whales.

The east coast of Korea is buttressed by a mountain range of steep crags and peaks that come right up to the beach in some places, thus giving only a limited number of harbors as compared to the west coast.

Japanese crewmen aboard an American whaling vessel cutting up blubber. Circa 1900s. Library of Congress Collection No. 2004668342

The water off this coast is much deeper than the Yellow Sea and was abundant with life, including fish, whales and seals, but it was extremely isolated and far from the traditional shipping lanes ― and with no friendly ports for hundreds of miles. In addition, much of it was still uncharted on Western maps and thus little was known of the region, except by the Russians, Koreans and Japanese who plied these waters.

The ship had already been at sea for some time and the captain's constant abuse began to wear on the crew, causing them to become surly. Perhaps the only comfort they found was in their food, as it was a "general remark among whalers that they live better at sea than on shore," and were well supplied with "many delicacies" such as tea, coffee and chocolate.

Whaling ships were expected to be "provisioned with beef, pork and bread for three years [and] never exceed three months on their whaling ground without recruiting themselves with fresh provisions from some neighboring island."

Captain Childs did not have that luxury ― the only cattle and supplies to be found were in hostile Korea and Japan. With food supplies dwindling, the captain ordered daily rations to be cut, adding to the crew's discontent.

The captain seems to have paid little attention to their complaints; they were far from any friendly ports and he was probably confident, despite their grumbling, that none of the men would be able to desert him. He was wrong.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn