APRIL 1ST, 1865: The CSS Shenandoah, Lt. Waddell, put into Lea Harbor, Ascension Island, (Ponape, Island, Eastern Carolines). A number of sail had been sighted from the cruiser's decks as she approached the island, and, Waddell reported "...we began to think if they were not whale ships it would be a very good April fool."
They had only sighted one ship between 20 February, shortly after departing Melbourne, and this date. They were not disappointed or fooled. Waddell found the whalers Pearl, Hector, Harvest and Edward Carey in the harbor and seized them. They also obtained vital charts showing the locations of the whaling grounds most frequented by American whalers.
--Old B-Runner
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