Each year the SHERMAN ZWICKER would make three trips to the Banks. The first known as the "frozen baiting" trip would start in early March through May. The second would run from May through June and the third "Summer Trip" would last from July through mid-September. During the fall and winter the SHERMAN ZWICKER made trips to South America carrying a cargo of salt fish and returning with a hold full of salt.

Today large, modern refrigerated fishing vessels make speedy trips to the Banks from ports such as New Bedford, Boston, Gloucester, Rockland, Lunenburg, Halifax and St. John's, but in the early days all fish had to be salted in order to preserve them for the return trip.

The process of catching fish aboard a dory schooner was a labor intensive experience. The crew would "turn out" (awake) before sunrise to prepare their dories and bait their trawls. A tub trawl (so called because the trawl was stored in a wooden tub) was a line 1 1/2 miles long with hooks fastened every fathom and one-half (9 feet) on three foot pieces of line. The twelve dories were lowered over the side onto the fishing grounds. The crew would set out the trawl with its eight hundred or so baited hooks, anchors, and a floating keg at each end to catch the elusive cod fish. The trawl would be hauled by hand, baited and set out three or four times during the day. (Before and after breakfast, after lunch, and before supper.) At day's end the dories would row or sail back to the ZWICKER when the fish would be pitch-forked aboard and then the dories and its two man crew were hoisted on deck. (Maroon colored dories on the port side, and buff colored dories on the starboard side.)

During storms and poor visibility the ships bell and fog horn were used to guide the fishermen back to the ZWICKER. There was always the danger of losing a dory and her men in bad weather.

The last chore of the day would be to clean the thousands of fish and salt them in the fish hold. Some days this work was not completed until mid-night. This incredible process would continue until the hold was full before the captain headed for home port.

The Deck

The deck of the schooner was where much of the work was carried out. Tasks such as preparing the tub trawls, cutting bait, and cleaning fish could only be done here. Once the fish were sorted, split and drained, they would be lowered through the two hatches into the hold, where the salter would salt the fish. (The forward hatch was rebuilt into the exit stairway for museum purposes.) On the deck of the SHERMAN ZWICKER are the fishing dories, the hand pumps, the large winch used to raise the anchor, and the winch motor.

The Wheelhouse

The wheel which guides the course of the vessel is located at the stern of the ship. It is placed here over the rudder to facilitate the mechanical steering mechanism. Most early Grand Banks schooners had no wheel house and the helmsman would stand out in the open weather while on watch. Because auxiliary schooners had no main boom a wheel house could be added to protect the captain or helmsman from the weather. Located in the wheelhouse would be the compass, the radio direction finder and the radar.

The Main Cabin

About one-third of the crew of twenty-eight men slept in this cabin, some in what were originally double bunks. The cabin also contained the sleeping quarters for the captain in a separate compartment in one corner of the cabin. In the captain's cabin are some more of the electronic gear used in navigation such as Loran, radio-telephone and depth recorder. If you wish, sign the ship's log, located on the captain's desk.

The Engine Room

Perhaps the most interesting part of this vessel is the engine room. Much of the room is filled with the massive Fairbanks Morse 320 horsepower engine which drives the ship at a cruising speed of 9 1/2 knots. The engine has no reverse gear and is hooked directly to the drive shaft and propeller. In order to reverse the vessel it is necessary to shut down the engine and reverse the cam and re-start the engine. The engine is in excellent running condition. On the port side you will see the ends of three large air tanks protruding from the wall. Compressed air is built up in these tanks in order to roll the engine over for starting and also for blowing the ship's horn. On the starboard side you will note the English-made Lister auxiliary engine which is used for pumping water, compressing air and generating electricity. This engine also is in excellent working order and is used frequently. Just forward of this engine are the banks of batteries used for lighting and the radio.

The Fish Hold

The fish hold is the next area of the ship which you enter. The passageway, both into the fish hold and also from the fish hold into the bow section, or forecastle, was cut into the bulkheads to facilitate the passage of visitors. During the working days of this vessel, one would have to go onto the deck and down the narrow stairs to reach the forecastle from the main cabin. The fish hold has a capacity of approximately 320,000 pounds of fish. When the hold became completely filled the captain would often stack additional fish on deck for the trip back to port. On both sides of the hold you will note various "bins" which originally were used to separate the fish and to hold the load from shifting in rough weather. Various displays of pictures and tools are now located in these different bins.

The Forecastle

The forecastle, located in the bow, contained the sleeping quarters for the majority of the crew and eating facilities for the entire crew. The galley and cook stove are located in the after part of the forecastle. In the galley, are the potato bin, provisions locker and the snack locker, the latter being left unlocked for the usual bedtime snack. The early cook stoves burned coal in the days of sail but were converted to oil when motor power was introduced. The safety rail around the stove is to hold the various pots and kettles from rolling onto the floor during rough weather. The base of the foremast which comes through from the upper deck is in this area. Between the bunks was the eating table for the entire crew, who ate in two sittings. During the evenings the forecastle was the scene of card playing, story telling and ballad singing, as this was the fishermen's home for about two-thirds of the year.

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