Who was Old Stormalong?

Illustration by Al Schmidt from Irwin Shapiro, Tall Tales of America (Weekly Reader Children's Book Club, 1958).

Captain Alfred Bulltop Stormalong is an American folk hero, subject of tall tales originating in Massachusetts in the days of sail. Thirty feet tall, he sailed on a clipper ship called the Courser by some storytellers, the Tuscaloosa by others. A ship built to his own proportions, it had hinges on its masts so that they wouldn't scrape the moon.

This blog originates from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. It is maintained by Dr. W. of the Humanities Department, who purposes to collect here sea stories and memoirs by her students, past and present, for the delight and enlightenment of midshipmen and alumni, parents and friends, of the USMMA. A hearty welcome aboard!