Private company
J. & W. R. Wing Company
Logo: Original: Ivan Sache [ 1 ] Vector: TheWanderingTraders, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3
Defunct American whaling company
The Joseph & William R. Wing Company was the largest whaling firm in the United States. Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the J. & W. R. Wing Co. was the agent for 236 whaling voyages from 1852 until 1914 and was among the last whaling companies operating in the United States.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
Overview
- Industrywhaling1
See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards
The Joseph & William R. Wing Company was the largest whaling firm in the United States. Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the J. & W. R. Wing Co. was the agent for 236 whaling voyages from 1852 until 1914 and was among the last whaling companies operating in the United States.2
Products and brands
The Wings increased their fleet during the Civil War, and by 1866 were managing 16 vessels. By 1870, they controlled the largest fleet of whaleships in the United States. Among their possessions was the Charles W. Morgan, today moored at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut.
From Wikipedia’s article on J. & W. R. Wing Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
Controversies and legal
W. R. Wing's fatal accident
In 1908, 78-year-old William R. Wing and his ten-year-old grandson were killed when the horse-drawn buggy they were driving was struck by a train. The last whaling voyage by the J. & W. R. Wing Co. was in 1914, the voyage of the bark Andrew Hicks under Capt. Charles A. Chace.
From Wikipedia’s article on J. & W. R. Wing Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
Timeline
Links
- WikipediaJ. & W. R. Wing Company
- More imagesWikimedia Commons
- WikidataQ6104465
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1
- 2WikipediaJ. & W. R. Wing Company on Wikipedia
- 3
- 4