WHALING

Hokitika Guardian, 20 June 1928, Page 4

WHALING

NORWEGIAN COMPANIES’ OPERATIONS. WELLINGTON, June 18. A considerable extension of whaling operations in the Antarctic by Norwegian companies is foreshadowed for next season. In recent years the Norwegian whaling companies operating wherever whales are found in sufficient numbers to make their capture profitable, have devoted their chief activities to the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Oceans. That the business has been a very profitable one is I shown by the magnitude and scope of the whaling ventures in the Ross Sea dependency of New Zealand and in regions of the South Shetlands and South Georgia, which lie in the high latitudes south of the Atlantic Ocean. Operations in the Ross Sea are carried on by means of the factory ships, C. A. Larsen and Sir James Clark Ross, which make an annual voyage, accompanied by ten chasers. The companies working aroun'd South Georgia and the South Shetlands have shore factories for dealing with the whales brought in by the chasers and the oil is transported to the markets by special tank ships. Interest is lent to the coming extension of the Norwegian whaling operations by reason of the fact that three well-known liners, two of which have been regular traders to New Zealand for more than twenty years, have been purchased for conversion into factory ships. The ships arc the Athenio (White Star Line) ]2,3GG tons, length 500 feet, beam 63 feet, depth 45 feet, four decks, ibuilt 1901; the Medic (White Star Line) 12,032 tons, length 550 ft, beam' G3ft, depth 40ft, three decks built 1898; and the Opawa (New Zealand Shipping Co.) 9297 tons, length 461 ft, beam 60ft, depth 31ft, two decks, and shelter deck, built 1906.

The Medic lias been in the Australian trade for $0 years. She visited Wellington in November 1918, when she arrived from Biel bourne on her way to England with ‘troops. Sho saiied on November Ist, but was re, called four days later, and returned to Australia owing to the cessation of hostilities. The Athenio and Medio will rank in size next after the C. A. Larsen, which is the largest factory ship in the world. She was formerly an oil tanker and is 527 feet in length and GO if t beam. The C. A. Larsen marked an innovation in modern whaling, being fitted with a stem tunnel having an inclined plane, for the purpose of hauling whales upon hei decks. This enables whaling operations to be carried on outside the shelter of a harbour. This floating factory, therefore, is able to continue operations under conditions of weather in which the usual method of cutting up whales in the water alongside the ship would he impracticable, and in this respect had considerable advantage over the Sir James Clnik Ross, which requires fine weather or some sheltering ice to enable the older method of whales alongside the ship to he carried out. It is stated that probably the Athcnie and the Medic will be fitted no in the same manner as the C. A, Larsen. It is not known in which region of the Antarctic the new factory ships and their attendant whale chasers (which will number at least five to each big ship) will operate, but in all probability it will lx> in the vast area westward of the Ross Sea and South of Australia. During the last two seasons the factory ship N. T. Neilsen Alonso, 9232 tons, with four whale chasers has worked successfully in the Ross Sea, using Hobart,, Tasmania, as her base.