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Description: | This is the head of a harpoon used for whaling in the after 1880. It comes from a whaling station in South Georgia in the Antarctic. The harpoon head contained an explosive charge and was fired from a gun mounted on the bow of a steam powered whale catcher ship. The tip penetrated the whale's body where the charge exploded killing the whale. British whalers made trips to South Georgia from the early 1800s, and in 1916 a whaling factory was established there.
Part: harpoon head, Material: metal
Part: plinth, Material: wood
image | Source: | Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums | Identifier: | emu.ecatalogue.maritimehistory.393536 | Go to resource |
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