A vessel used in the hunting of whales. The term “whaler” goes back many centuries, the English and Dutch being especially active in the pursuit of whales in the early 1600’s. After the war of 1812 the whaling business entered its palmy days. The ships were heavily built, and had distinctive hull and deck designs. Average lenght was 115' to 130', the beam about one-fifth the lenght, with a raking, convexly curved stem, bow moderately full above the water, straight vertical stern post, slight sheer and a long run.
A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former includes the whale catcher–a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bow. The latter includes such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early 20th century and the floating factory or factory ship of the modern era. There have also been vessels which combined the two activities, such as the bottlenose whalers of the late 19th and early 20th century, and catcher/factory ships of the modern era.
Whaleships had two or more whaleboats.
See Topic: “Whaleboat”
Open rowing boats used in the capture of whales. Whaleboats brought the captured whales to the whaleships to be flensed or cut up. Here the blubber was rendered into oil using two or three try-pots set in a brick furnace called the tryworks.
At first, whale catchers either brought the whales they killed to a whaling station or factory ship anchored in a sheltered bay or inlet. Later, with the development of the slipway at the ship's stern, whale catchers were able to transfer their catch to factory ships operating in the open sea.
Picture 1: Whaler Charles W Morgan.
See Topic: “Charles W Morgan”
Picture 2: A steamwhaler
Tonga 1961, S.G.?, Scott: 115.
Source: Wikipedia.
Whaler or Whaling Ship
-
aukepalmhof
- Posts: 8005
- Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am
Re: Whaler or Whaling Ship
The whale ship depict on Tristan da Cunha stamp 2d is the CHARLES W MORGAN. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7641&p=16236&hilit=whaler#p16236