Whalemen's
harpoons. Fig. 1. Improved harpoon or toggle-iron. Fig.
2, 3. First form of toggle-iron made by Lewis Temple Fig. 4. One-flued
harpoon with hinged toggle. Fig. 5. One-flued harpoon Fig. 6. Two-flued
harpoon Fig. 7. Toggle-iron invented by Provincetown whaleman.
One of the first things that strikes you (no pun
intended) when learning about pre-industrial whale fisheries is
how insubstantial the weaponry was that whalers used to attack,
kill and flense their quarry. The job of the harpoon was to attach
the whale to the whaling boat by a rope in order to tire the whale
and also so that it didn't get away.
By comparison to the size of the whale, the
harpoons seem almost Lilliputian, a bit like attacking a human
with dining cutlery - forks and fish knives. The first harpoon
designs were like large barbed arrows, but these would often pull
out, so a variety of hinged harpoons with toggles that would swing
out at 90° to the shaft once in place were devised. These were
much more effective in their task and would pull out much less
often.
Image courtesy NOAA
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