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WHALER
This term denotes a specialised vessel of very heavy (ice-resistant) timber construction built to hunt and process whales in Arctic whalers. They were normally rigged as brigs but auxiliary steam engines were commonly fitted. RRS Discovery (in preservation at Dundee) exemplifies the type. The terms Whaling Ship or Whaling Vessel have also been applied to this class of vessel, which should be differentiated from the larger and whale catchers, factory ships and transport ships of steel construction built for Antarctic whaling in the mid 20th century. The use of the term to describe a double-banked pulling craft in naval service is inapplicable.
Classifications
Related Terms
| Term | Note |
|---|---|
| WHALE FACTORY SHIP | A specialised large merchant ship built or converted for service in the Southern Ocean, cutting up (‘flensing’) whales caught by smaller catchers or whalers, boiling down the blubber, and storing the bone, flesh and oil products for the return voyage. |
