Edmund Gardner
Gardner, Edmund
Captain of the Balena, a New England whaling ship out of New Bedford, Massachusetts; on September 29, 1819, the Balena was one of the first two whaling ships to visit the Hawaiian Islands (the other was the Equator under the command of Elisha Folger); in the fall of 1819, while anchored in Kealakekua Bay, the Balena harpooned a large sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus; Hawaiian name: palaoa) that yielded more than 100 barrels of oil; by this date, commercial whaling had already begun to diminish whale populations worldwide, and the whales of the Atlantic were already documented as being overhunted.
(See The Whaling Era, Chapter 12.)
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"Master Under God"
Captains exercised absolute authority at sea and so were dubbed "Master Under God" by early insurance writs, agreements with ship owners and passengers and the Board of Trade.
The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag state policies.
All persons on board, including officers and crew, other shipboard staff members, passengers, guests and pilots, are under the captain's authority and are his ultimate responsibility.
On international voyages, the captain is responsible for satisfying requirements of the local immigration and customs officials.Immigration issues can include situations such as embarking and disembarking passengers, handling crewmembers who desert the ship, making crew-changes in port, and making accommodations for foreign crewmembers.
Customs requirements can include the master providing a cargo declaration, a ship's stores declaration, a declaration of crewmembers' personal effects, crew lists and passenger lists.
