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The Whalers (1830-1850)
During the 1830s and 1840s, Pohnpei was visited often by the scores of
British and American
whalers, trading vessels, and merchant ships that prowled the nearby waters. Three things drew ships to the island.
Fresh water stores must be replenished from time to time, and Pohnpei, with its tall mountains,
lush valleys, and numerous rivers, had plenty to spare. Additionally, its dense forests provided the
lumber needed to make repairs to vessels that had sustained damage at sea. Finally, the all-male crews—often at sea for months at a
 time—were attracted by the island
women and their apparently casual attitudes toward sex.
Desertions were common, the occasional ship losing a significant part of its crew during
the night. By 1835, there were at least thirty-five white
beachcombers living on Pohnpei. The high chiefs used
the beachcombers as mediators between Pohnpeians and traders.
They were eagerly accepted and given aid. Some chiefs even adopted
beachcombers and treated them as their own children. |
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Yet, these men were the seeds of trouble to come. Most were rascally types, cutthroats, and escaped convicts, given to violence and mischief. Their presence did not bring peacefulness. Establishing themselves on the island, they encouraged
prostitution and introduced the art of liquor-production to the Pohnpeians.
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