New Bedford
Whaling Rocket And Gun |
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The Whaling Rocket and also the Harpoon Gun took the place of the hand held harpoon and greatly
improved the
efficiency and safety of the hunt.
It allowed whalers to be at a greater distance from the kill, and therefore less in harms way
from the whale's retribution.
Whales had sunk ships and taken the smaller whale boats for a "Nantucket Sleigh Ride" sometimes
causing the smaller craft to become lost from the mother ship. More text below
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A "Nantucket Sleigh Ride" was when a smaller whaling boat hooked onto a whale, and the whale took off
dragging the smaller boat with him or her ...whatever sex the whale was.
When the whale sounded and went deep, the line sometimes ran out. If it was tied to the boat, the boat could be pulled under water extremely quickly. Men lost their lives in that way. |
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This is an advertisement from October 18, 1887 in the "Whalemen's Shipping List",
a newspaper of the day.
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