PENOBSCOT GULF Fishing Vessel

PENOBSCOT GULF Fishing Vessel

The PENOBSCOT GULF, a fishing vessel converted from an oil tanker by Marty Bartlett, chugs through Penobscot Bay.

"Martin R. Bartlett was a fisherman and fisheries scientist who was particularly active in the swordfish fishery. He grew up on Cape Cod, where he fished from shore with his father, then enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard on graduating from high school in the 1950s. After four years in the Coast Guard, he joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), where he crewed on research vessels and became involved in WHOI’s game fish tagging program. He was affiliated with WHOI until the mid-1970s, studying and writing about swordfish and other game fish populations and fishery methods, including recently-introduced methods like longlining. On leaving WHOI, Bartlett purchased the 52’ oil tanker CAPE ANN SOCONY and converted it into a commercial fishing vessel named PENOBSCOT GULF. He spent the next twenty years as a commercial fisherman, mostly in the swordfish fishery but pursing everything down to skates and sponges as the opportunity offered. In addition to his work as a scientist and commercial fisherman, Bartlett was a dedicated photographer who visually documented the swordfish and commercial fishing industry."
Penobscot Marine Museum. Inventory for Manuscript Collection PMM 90, Penobscot Marine Museum (2021)

When Photographer Eliot Elisofon was not traveling the world taking photos for LIFE Magazine, he came to Vinalhaven, Maine to rest and recoup. Eliot bought a farmhouse near Crockett Cove on Vinalhaven in 1941, built by Joel and Mary Jane Philbrook in 1843.
Daughter Elin writes, “My father always said his favorite place on earth was Vinalhaven and he meant it. Wherever he was, he was counting the days until he could return to the island. Here he would 'recharge his batteries' from grueling trips to Africa, Asia, the Pacific, or from battles with the publishers and editors he had to constantly prod into sharing his passion and understanding his vision. In Vinalhaven he could relax, soak up the beauty of the place, plant trees, flowers, and vegetables, paint in his studio, cook, and develop the lifelong friendships he treasured."
Elisofon, Elin. FEAST. (Vinalhaven, Maine: April, 1992)
These images are personal photographs taken by Eliot Elisofon on Vinalhaven and were not published during his lifetime.