USS <I>Alaska</I> Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth
date: label: Date made
content: 1878
label: USS Alaska port call to Chile, Talcahuano
content: 1878-09
notes: label: Description
content: The wooden screw sloop of war USS <I>Alaska</I> was built in 1868 and spent much of her career in the southern Pacific and Far East representing the American nation in foreign ports. In June 1878, she cleared New York for San Francisco and stopped at several South American ports on the way.
label: Description
content: One of <I>Alaska's</I> port calls from 20-29 September 1878 was to Talcahuano, in the center of Chile's coast and that nation's main naval port. It also was one the principal stops for American whalers in the Pacific seeking fresh supplies and entertainment. This massive sperm whale's tooth was probably purchased there and engraved by one of Alaska's crew to commemorate his visit. While the carver of this tooth is unknown, it may have been one of the officers who kept the official ship's logbooks, because the calligraphy on the covers of the logs for this voyage is exceptionally elaborate and colorful.
label: Description
content: As this tooth indicates, the Talcahuano visit and liberty calls were memorable. Sent ashore on liberty, 54 of <I>Alaska's</I> crew went AWOL (Absent WithOut Leave), and three more were confined to double irons (feet and hand cuffs) for drunk and boisterous behavior or fighting.
place: label: Associated Place
content: South Pacific
label: Associated Place
content: United States: New York, New York
label: Associated Place
content: South America
label: Associated Place
content: Chile: Biobío, Talcahuano
label: Associated Place
content: United States: California, San Francisco
topic: label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Military
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Transportation
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content: On the Water exhibit
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content: Art
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Frederic A. Delano
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.374477
label: catalog number
content: 374477
label: accession number
content: 136263
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrimshaw tooth, whale
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: scrimshaw (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: ivory (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 1/4 in x 4 1/4 in x 2 1/2 in; 23.4696 cm x 10.795 cm x 6.35 cm