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Nantucket Signal List
from
William H. Macy's Journal
of the Ship Potomac,
1841-1845.

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**
[Click on image to enlarge.]

Introduction.

William H. Macy's journal of his first whaling voyage on the Nantucket ship Potomac has a variety of additional material following his record of the cruise.

Included are twelve water-color pages (page images 205-227) of fifty-two signals representing approximately eighty-four ships sailing from the island of Nantucket.

Many of the signals have annotations in pencil or cross-outs over names that appear to have been added after the creation of the journal that indicate loss or sale of the ships to other ports.

Contents.

Alexander CoffinShip2, 48
AlphaShip1
AmericanShip / Bark3
AtlanticShip11
AuroraShip4
BalticShip5
BarclayShip6
CatawbaShip9
CatharineShip10
Charles and HenryShip9
Charles CarrollShip13, 27
Christopher MitchellShip14
CitizenShip52
ClarksonShip45
ColumbiaShip9
ColumbusShip7
CongressShip12
ConstitutionShip9
CyrusShip49
David PaddackShip11
Edward CaryShip50
Elizabeth StarbuckShip16, 19
EmpireShip52
EnterpriseShip15
FabiusShip5, 19
FosterShip2
FranklinShip17
GangesShip18
HarvestShip5
HenryShip11
Henry AstorShip21
HeroShip19
HowardShip20
James LoperShip19
JapanShip23
John AdamsShip24
Joseph StarbuckShip19, 25
KingstonShip20
Levi StarbuckShip19, 28
LexingtonShip27
MariaShip32
MarinerShip26
MarthaShip / Bark31
MaryShip11
Mary MitchellShip30
MassachusettsShip33
MontanoShip29
MonticelloShip / Bark22
Mount VernonShip22
NantucketShip46
NapoleonShip / Bark47
NarragansettShip35
NavigatorShip34
NeptuneShip52
Obed MitchellShip30, 51
OceanShip4
Ohio [ii?]Ship36
OmegaShip19
OntarioShip32
OrbitShip4
OrionShip20
PeruShip / Bark37
PeruvianShip14
PhebeShip39
Phoenix / PhenixShip / Bark4
PlanterShip / Bark15
PloughboyShip38
PotomacShip4
PresidentShip / Bark19
RamblerShip30
Richard MitchellShip2
RoseShip / Schr19
Sarah ParkerShip52
SpartanShip / Bark40
StatiraShip / Bark30
SusanShip30
Three BrothersShip / Bark19, 42
ThuleShip / Bark8
United StatesShip32
Walter ScottShip32
WashingtonShip34
Young EagleShip19, 43
Young HeroShip / Bark19
Zenas CoffinShip9
ZephyrShip52
ZoneShip / Bark44
unclear26
unclear41

Nantucket Signals 1

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Alpha ship
[Click on image to enlarge.]

2 William H. Macy's

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Alexander ship
Richard Mitchell ship
Foster ship
[Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 3

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American ship / Bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

4 William H. Macy's

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Aurora ship
Phenix ship / bark
Potomac ship
Ocean ship
Orbit ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 5

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Baltic ship
Harvest ship
Fabius ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

6 William H. Macy's

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Barclay ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 7

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Columbus ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

8 William H. Macy's

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Thule ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 9

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Catawba ship
Constitution ship
Columbia ship
Charles and Henry ship
Zenas Coffin ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

10 William H. Macy's

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Catherine ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 11

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Atlantic ship
Henry ship
Mary ship
David Paddack ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

12 William H. Macy's

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Congress ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 13

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Charles Carroll ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

14 William H. Macy's

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Christopher Mitchell ship
Peruvian ship / bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 15

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Enterprise ship
Planter ship / bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

16 William H. Macy's

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Elizabeth Starbuck ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 17

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Franklin ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

18 William H. Macy's

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Ganges ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 19

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Elizabeth Starbuck ship
Levi Starbuck ship
Fabius ship
Hero ship
Rose ship / bark
Omega ship
Three Brothers ship / bark
President ship / bark
Young Hero ship / bark
Young Eagle ship
Joseph Starbuck ship
James Loper ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

20 William H. Macy's

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Howard ship
Orion ship
Kingston ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 21

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Henry Astor ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

22 William H. Macy's

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Mount Vernon ship
Monticello ship / Bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 23

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Japan ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

24 William H. Macy's

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John Adams ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 25

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Joseph Starbuck ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

26 William H. Macy's

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[unclear]
Mariner ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 27

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Lexington ship
Charles Carroll ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

28 William H. Macy's

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Levi Starbuck ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 29

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Montano ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

30 William H. Macy's

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Mary Mitchell ship
Susan ship
Statira ship / bark
Rambler ship
Obed Mitchell ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 31

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Martha ship / Bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

32 William H. Macy's

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Maria ship
Ontario ship
Walter Scott ship
United States ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 33

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Massachusetts ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

34 William H. Macy's

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Navigator ship
Washington ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 35

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Narragansett ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

36 William H. Macy's

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Ohio ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 37

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Peru ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

38 William H. Macy's

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Ploughboy ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 39

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Phebe ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

40 William H. Macy's

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Spartan ship / bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 41

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???
[Click on image to enlarge.]

42 William H. Macy's

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Three Brothers ship / bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 43

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Young Eagle ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

44 William H. Macy's

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Zone ship / bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 45

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Clarkson ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

46 William H. Macy's

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Nantucket ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 47

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Napoleon ship / Bark
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

48 William H. Macy's

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Alexander Coffin ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 49

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Cyrus ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

50 William H. Macy's

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Edward Carey ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Nantucket Signals 51

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Obed Mitchell ship
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

52 William H. Macy's

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New Ships

    Empire
    Citizen
    Zephyr
    Neptune
    Sarah Parker
 [Click on image to enlarge.]

Source.
William H. Macy.
      Journal of a Whaling Voyage to the Pacific Ocean in the Ship Potomac of Nantucket, Isaac B. Hussey, Master, ... 1841-2-3 4 & 5.
    manuscript held by Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley MA.

This transcription used the images at the Internet Archive.

Last updated by Tom Tyler, Denver, CO, USA, Sep 15, 2026


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