Dundee Antarctic Whaling Expedition 1892

Struthers Tay Whale Dissection by George Washington Wilson

The first evidence for whaling in Scotland is from

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

settlements where whalebones were used for constructing and decorating dwelling places. Commercial whaling started in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, and by the 1750s most Scottish ports were whaling, with the Edinburgh Whale-Fishing Company being founded in 1749. The last company still engaged in whaling was

Christian Salvesen Christian Salvesen was a Scottish whaling, transport and logistics company with a long and varied history, employing 13,000 staff and operating in seven countries in western Europe. In December 2007, it was acquired by French listed transport ...

, which exited the industry in 1963.

History

In the 19th century Arctic

bowhead The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus'') is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and the only living representative of the genus ''Balaena''. They are the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters, an ...

whaling, conducted from ports right along the east coast of the country, was vital for the Scottish

jute industry Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

, especially for processing jute fibre in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

. Whale oil was also used for street lighting. The two main Scottish ports were Dundee and Peterhead.

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

was the only significant whaling port on the west coast. Whaling was also conducted on the west coast. A station at Bun Abhainn Eadarra near

Tarbert Tarbert ( gd, An Tairbeart) is a place name in Scotland and Ireland. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island. Etymology All placenames ...

in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

was founded by the Norwegian Karl Herlofsen in 1904. Later acquired by

Lever Brothers Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and successfully promoted a new soap-making p ...

it was abandoned by them in 1929. Operations continued under new owners but it finally closed in 1951. Little remains to be seen of the site except the incongruous red brick chimney."Harris, Bunaveneadar, Whaling Station"
RCAHMS. Retrieved 4 January 2015. The Scottish whaling industry rapidly declined at the beginning of the 20th century, and ended completely in 1963 when Edinburgh-based

, once the largest whaling company in the world, withdrew from the industry and sold its last two whaling vessels. Although whaling in now considered to be a controversial trade, for many centuries it was a vital element of the

Scottish economy The economy of Scotland is an Open economy, open mixed economy which, in 2020, had an estimated nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $205 billion including oil and gas extraction in Scottish waters. Since the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland's ...

Pioneering role of Scottish whalers in Antarctic exploration

The first known photographs of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

were taken during the Scottish whaling expedition of 1892-93. A Dundee whaling fleet, with scientific officers on board, visited the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

, the

Joinville Island group Joinville Island group is a group of antarctic islands, lying off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which Joinville Island group is separated by the Antarctic Sound. Joinville Island, located at , is the largest island of the ...

and the northern

Trinity Peninsula Trinity Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Antarctic Peninsula. It extends northeastward for about 130 km (80 mi) to Cape Dubouzet from an imaginary line connecting Cape Kater on the north-west coast and Cape Longing on the sou ...

. Captain Robertson discovered and charted

Active Sound Active Sound () is a sound, averaging wide, extending in an east-northeast direction from Antarctic Sound and joining the Firth of Tay with which it separates Joinville and Dundee Islands. Discovered in 1892–93 by Captain Thomas Robertson of ...

and the Firth of Tay. The fleet encountered

Carl Anton Larsen Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norway, Norwegian-born Whaling, whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fos ...

of the ''Jason'', near Joinville Island, on 24 December 1892. Four ships took part: *Thomas Robertson, ''Active'', with Charles W. Donald *Alexander Fairweather, ''Balaena'', with

William Speirs Bruce William Speirs Bruce (1 August 1867 – 28 October 1921) was a British Natural history, naturalist, polar region, polar scientist and Oceanography, oceanographer who organized and led the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE, 1902–04) ...

and

William Gordon Burn Murdoch William Gordon Burn Murdoch (22 January 1862 – 19 July 1939) was a Scottish painter, travel writer and explorer. Murdoch travelled widely including India and both the Arctic and the Antarctic. He is said to be the first person to have played t ...

*Robert Davidson, ''Diana'' *James Davidson, ''Polar Star'' The success of the 1892-93 expedition led directly to the

Scottish National Antarctic Expedition The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE), 1902–1904, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in terms of prestige by Robe ...

of 1902–04, and to Dundee being chosen for building the ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

'' for the Discovery Expedition of 1901–04.

Scottish place names in Antarctica

Due to the work of Scottish whalers, sealers and other sailors, several place names in or near Antarctica have Scottish origins: *

Anderson Peninsula The Anderson Peninsula () is a low ice-covered peninsula, long, terminating in Belousov Point. It lies between Gillett Ice Shelf and Suvorov Glacier on the coastal margin of the Wilson Hills of Antarctica. It was mapped by the United States Geolo ...

Coats Land Coats Land is a region in Antarctica which lies westward of Queen Maud Land and forms the eastern shore of the Weddell Sea, extending in a general northeast–southwest direction between 20°00′W and 36°00′W. The northeast part was discove ...

, named for the brothers James and Andrew Coats of J and P Coats, Glasgow, who funded the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition * Dundee Island and Firth of Tay * Inverleith Harbour *

McDonald Ice Rumples The McDonald Ice Rumples () constitute an ice rise in the Brunt Ice Shelf bordering the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, covering an area of . Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition reported a glacier in this vicinity in January 1915. ...

* McMurdo Sound,

McMurdo Ice Shelf The McMurdo Ice Shelf is the portion of the Ross Ice Shelf bounded by McMurdo Sound and Ross Island on the north and Minna Bluff on the south. Studies show this feature has characteristics quite distinct from the Ross Ice Shelf and merits indiv ...

McMurdo Station McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the Unit ...

* McIntyre Island * MacKenzie Bay * Mount Campbell * Mount Crawford (Antarctica) * Mount Dalrymple *

Mount Douglas (Antarctica) Mount Douglas () is a striking pyramidal peak, 1,750 m, near the head of Fry Glacier, on the divide between the Fry and the Mawson Glaciers. The New Zealand Northern Survey Party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1956–58) es ...

* Mount Hamilton (Antarctica) * Mount Inverleith *

Mount Kirkpatrick Mount Kirkpatrick is a lofty, generally ice-free mountain in Antarctica's Queen Alexandra Range. Located 8 km (5 mi) west of Mount Dickerson, Mount Kirkpatrick is the highest point in the Queen Alexandra Range, as well as in its parent ...

/Kilpatrick & Kirkpatrick Basalt (named for a Glasgow businessman) * Mount Strathcona *

Robertson Island Robertson Island is an ice-covered island, long in a northwest-southeast direction and wide, lying at the east end of the Seal Nunataks off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Captain Carl Anton Larsen discovered Robertson Island from t ...

Robertson Islands The Robertson Islands or Robertsons Islands are a group of islands extending 6 km southward of the south-eastern extremity of Coronation Island in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. They were discovered and roughly charted by Captains ...

* Scotia Arc & Scotia Sea *

, etymology unknown, but may be named after Trinity House in Leith, Scotland's centre for maritime administration * Weddell Sea, named in 1822 after the Scottish sealer

James Weddell James Weddell (24 August 1787 – 9 September 1834) was a British sailor, navigator and seal hunter who in February 1823 sailed to latitude of 74° 15′ S—a record 7.69 degrees or 532 statute miles south of the Antarct ...

, from Falkland Sound, named for Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, who in turn took his title from

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship of ...

in Fife. See also

West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...

& East Falkland, the two main islands. **

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

Brenton Loch Brenton Loch (Spanish, Bahia de Ruiz Puente) is an inlet-cum-small fjord in the Falkland Islands. It is one of a handful of sea lochs outside Scotland. It is sometimes known as "Brenton Sound". "Loch" is normally pronounced as "lock" in the En ...

(inlet) and Loch Head Pond are rare examples of the Scottish word '

loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...

' being applied to bodies of water outwith Scotland * South Orkneys ** Ailsa Craig ** Cape Geddes ** Laurie Island (named by

) **

Nigg Rock Nigg Rock () is an insular rock, 165 m (510 ft) high, lying 0.5 nautical miles (0.9 km) northwest of Route Point, the northwest tip of Laurie Island in the South Orkney Islands. It is between the Mackenzie Peninsula (named after th ...

br>
**

Orcadas Base ) , subdivision_type4 = Location , subdivision_name4 = Laurie Island , established_title1 = Established , established_date1 = 1903 , established_title2 = Founded , established_date2 = , elevation_m ...

** Omond Hous

** Scotia Bay *

South Shetlands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 19 ...

** Barclay Bay **

Duff Point Duff Point is a point on Archar Peninsula forming the western extremity of Greenwich Island, in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The name ''Duffs Straits'' was applied to McFarlane Strait by James Weddell in 1820–23, after Captain Norwic ...

Gibbs Island Gibbs Island (russian: остров Рожнова) lies south-west of Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. James Weddell, whose chart of the islands appeared in 1825, was apparently the first to use the current name of ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

, McFarlane Strait (

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

) ** McFarlane Strait **

Morton Strait Morton Strait is the -long and -wide strait between Snow Island on the southwest and Rugged Island and Livingston Island on the northeast, in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The Aim Rocks and Long Rock lie in the strait. The feature ...

** South Shetland Trough

References

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