April 15, 2012 – Diminished but never extinguished describes Fairhaven's shipbuilding industry.
What was once a bustling set of shipyards servicing the world's largest whaling port may be reduced to a single shipyard that irregularly rolls out a new vessel, but pride in the storied seaside town's past remains strong.
"It may not be known to all of our readers that the business of shipbuilding was at one time prosecuted quite actively at the head of the Acushnet River," wrote Charles A. Harris in "Old-Time Fairhaven", one of the most widely read texts on Fairhaven history published in 1947.
According to Harris, though shipbuilding had been present in Fairhaven since the early 1700s, major shipbuilding efforts in town began with the construction of cod fishing ships. More than 30 such ships were built, with the first one finished in 1798.
"This is one of the earliest industries in Fairhaven," said Fairhaven Department of Tourism Director and "Mr. History Guy" Chris Richard.
Originally, whaling also came to Fairhaven and, for a brief moment, it was the second largest whaling port in the nation.
With New Bedford across the water, however, Fairhaven soon adapted to its larger neighbor's greater success at whaling. It became a town of builders, sailors, sail-makers and other marine trades, thus forging a cooperative rather than competitive relationship with New Bedford.
Read the full article at the New Bedford Standard-Times.