Whaler's Fluke Lance
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Object Details
- authored whaling reference material
- Brown, James Temple
- Driggs, James D.
- Description
- The most dangerous act in the dangerous business of whaling was “spading flukes.” The whaleboat drew up close alongside a desperate, unpredictable whale on the water surface, and a crewman used a boat spade or fluke lance to sever the whale’s tail tendons. This effectively immobilized the prey, for the whale couldn’t swim without its tail.
- According to James Temple Brown, who wrote the 1883 catalog of the Smithsonian’s whaling collection, the fluke lance was exceedingly rare and was regarded as “a monstrosity by all the fraternity”. This rare inscribed example was used aboard the starboard whaleboat of the bark Sea Fox.
- Credit Line
- U.S. Fish Commission through James D. Driggs
- ca 1880-1889
- ID Number
- TR.056358
- catalog number
- 056358
- accession number
- 012298
- Object Name
- lance
- Fluke Lance
- Other Terms
- lance; Fluke Lance; Maritime
- Physical Description
- iron (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3 1/2 in x 59 3/4 in x 1 1/2 in; 8.89 cm x 151.765 cm x 3.81 cm
- Place Made
- United States: Massachusetts, New Bedford
- Related Publication
- Brown, James Temple. The Whale Fishery and Its Appliances
- On the Water online exhibition
- Related Web Publication
- http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Maritime
- Cultures & Communities
- Work
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Natural Resources
- Transportation
- On the Water exhibit
- Exhibition
- On the Water
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- National Museum of American History
- used
- Whaling
- related event
- The Development of the Industrial United States
- Record ID
- nmah_844207
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-7eca-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
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