scothunter 12,609 Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 Bbc4 watch It on catchup, really good its a two parter. Lot of old footage, and its about british whaling. Old guys telling how it was. Was good to hear them saying how much respect they had for them. By f**k we slaughterd some amount of them. Anyway its worth a watch 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neil cooney 10,416 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Seen it. Very good insight into a part of Britains past that I'd say they're a little bit embarrassed about. It's amazing too just how much that we depended on the whale back in those days. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clipo 871 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Ffs wanted to watch and forgot it was on...... defo gonna watch it later!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 It will upset you stewie. the sheer amount of scrap on south georgia lol they just left a huge factory to rot. biggest one in the world.so you can imagine the scale 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malt 379 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Moby Dick is a good read for anybody interested in the history of whaling. Might have to iplayer that program, sounds interesting. The town closest to the village I live in was founded by yank whalers - Milford Haven. was that featured? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Born Hunter 17,763 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Sounds very interesting. Cheers for the heads up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gonetoearth 5,144 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 I sperm. Wale got hit by a container ship and got stuck on the bulbous bow and ended up in are dock my mate got the job of carring it on his low loader. The stench of rotting whale is. Like nothing on earth. Ive cut up dolphins , seals porpoise but this whale was some thing else , my old man went to sea from a lad he told me the whaling men were not allowed in the pubs on the dock road except for one witch still has a whaler statue on top of it. Whalers could be away for up to two years at a time Get moby dick on. Ibooks the narration is brilliant. . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Yea in the 70s the margarine you ate was whales. aye the guys getting interviewed looked a hard breed, reckon you need to be. read that book a few times malt, that and the old man of the sea. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 GTE there was one died here few year ago. Im about 7 mile from where it lay and the stench was horrendous! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
byron 1,179 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 my old man sailed/worked along side on the whaling ship hektoria.. [google her] during the 37/38 season..he was on one of the five catcher boats that worked along side the factory ship hektoria..[she was the first whaling boat to have a stern ramp].. sailing out of durban south africa..he fished the south georgia area, assension isles etc.. like most men of that time he never spoke much about this time or the second world war ..but occasionally when he'd had a drink,, lol....i picked up snippets of info..[wish it was more but..i was a young boy then.. he still believed in whaling up untill his death..and allways said that they died of a broken heart,, i never understood this till years later, and what he ment was with them being a schooling type,once they had been harpooned they pumped that much blood that there end came quicker..i know that he had a good mate out there and on the outbreak of war, salvesons offered him and his mate a way out of serving..but he must of turned it down because he served in the navy.i remember my mam saying his mate never survived the war,, we used to have a small painting of a galleon on slate on the plate rack at home, that this lad had given to me mam/dad..any way after the old man died me mam gave me his contract from salvesons for the 37/38 season..a few years later i was looking round the maritime/whaling museum in hull.. the old man was from hull,but fished deep water out of gy..that was a first, a yorkie sailing out of gy..lol..and thought it might of been of local interest.. anyway it was a weekend and i asked this security chap if he would be interested in the old mans contract i had with me.. so i left it with him saying if they were not interested to post it back to me.it created alot interest and the chap that got in touch with me wanted to know what i new about this time..it got me searching the net for info ,,were i found/worked out what had happened to his mate,,by this time me mam had gone by then and i often think if i had known this info then it would have answered alot of thoughts etc. if you google hektoria the answer lies there ,,torpedoed sept 42,one man lost..me dads mate.. thanks.. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 The old guy last night , said he woukdnt do it today, and I always winced when the harpoon struck home. after alk its a living thing, and feels pain as much as you or I. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gonetoearth 5,144 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 No scot ive photos ill put them up later. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 No scot ive photos ill put them up later. cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neems 2,406 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 The old guy last night , said he woukdnt do it today, and I always winced when the harpoon struck home. after alk its a living thing, and feels pain as much as you or I. I hear they use exploding harpoons now,doesn't sound much more humane to me lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neil cooney 10,416 Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 It was quiet interesting how at one time they wouldn't target Blue and Grey whales because they sunk when dead but then learned how to blow air into them to keep them afloat. Then the evolution of the new harpoon with the explosive tip. The footage of the whaler shooting the elephant seal from a few feet away was stern stuff. I'm surprised they didn't bring them to the brink too as they are the only seals that don't slip into the water when approached. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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