Whaling schooner deckplan - Whales and Whaling pictures - 14

Whaling sailing ships could be readily be distinguished from other vessels even if not built specifically for the purpose of whaling by certain features:

• 2 or more usually 3 large whaling boats.

• Provision for substantial storage for barrels to hold whale oil in the hold.

• Blocks and other lifting gear amidships to haul parts of the flensed whale aboard for further processing.

• The try-works usually positioned towards the front of the ship.

In 1860 a sailor on an American whaler earned 20 cents a day with lodging (cramped) and food (pretty bad). This compared to around 90c a day for an unskilled laborer on the land which after food and lodging were taken into account, came to 45-60c a day. So the lowest type of shore laborer in the USA earned 2-3 times what a common seaman on a whaler at sea earned. Desertion was commonplace and whaling captains often avoided ports or even islands where this was easy.