Antarctica Picture | Antarctica Cruise | Facts | History | Boots | Store | Clothes | Whales | Books | Video | Schools | Forum | Site Map | FIDS / OAE's
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Antarctica Picture | Antarctica Cruise | Facts | History | Boots | Store | Clothes | Whales | Books | Video | Schools | Forum | Site Map | FIDS / OAE's
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The vast
flukes of the whale shore off the bow of the attacking boat
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Whale
boats would often operate in pairs or threes rather than alone as a
constant hazard was the huge thrashing flukes of a stricken whale
which were more than capable of destroying a wooden whaling boat.
Sailors at the time were notoriously bad swimmers and it was not
uncommon to lose a man overboard never to be seen again.
Even if the men were good swimmers, the odds of survival were against them, if they were hunting sperm whales, then they would probably have been far from land as this species frequent deep water, and if hunting almost any other type of whale they would probably be in regions of very cold water where survival times were short. An engraving from "The cruise of the Cachalot" |
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The whaling gallery is a collection of images from a whole range of sources. It is intended to inform and illustrate a now (thankfully) vanished occupation and way of life that for the men so engaged was hard and often dangerous. It is intended for historical interest rather than a commentary on the ethics of whaling.
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 Shackleton 2002 
DVD
DVD
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