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To The Arctic Ocean Again

After returning to Honolulu on March 25, 1871, the Roman quickly departed for the Arctic on April 8. But, before heading north to colder waters, Captain Jernegan filed desertion papers for 17 crew members and discharge papers for two with the U.S. Consulate. The morale of the crew was shaken after the mutiny, but the short Arctic season beckoned and time was of the essence.

As Jared Jernegan's family began their journey east across the continental United States, the Captain and crew of the Roman rejoined the fleet of American ships on their seasonal hunt in Arctic waters. By late June, over twelve hundred officers and crew on forty ships sailed north through the Bering Strait pursuing bowhead whales. Unlike Jared Jernegan, several captains had brought their families along. Martha's Vineyard wives included Almira Dexter on the Emily Morgan, Katie Mellen on the Europa with her daughter Laura, and Jane Luce Owen and her son William on the Contest.

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image of wanderer

Library of Congress