Coopering
in preparation.
The long journey to the whaling grounds was far
from being just a relaxing cruise. Like any ship at almost any
time in history, the crew were kept permanently busy and there was
always plenty to do. Here an age old skill of coopering (making
barrels) is being carried out on a factory ship in the 1930's. By
this time the oil from processed whales had been stored in tanks
for many years, although in earlier whaling days when sailing
ships and more labour intensive methods were used, whale oil was
stored aboard ships in hundreds or thousands of such wooden
barrels.
These will be for some other purpose, possibly
for storing the finer grade oils derived from sperm whales that
were at a premium as industrial lubricants.
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