Whaling FAQ’S – Whaler's Memory Bank

Why did whaling happen?

Whales have been hunted for centuries because of the huge mass of product that can be extracted from their bodies. The oil that can be rendered from them is important because it burned cleanly and was initially used to fuel lamps before the discovery of electricity and petroleum. Later the oil lubricated the industrial revolution and was converted into edible fats. Meat provided vital food and their baleen was carved to make tools. From the 18th century, baleen became a vital component for the fashion industry used in corsetry, hats and umbrella's.

What parts of the whales were used?

Blubber (the fatty outer layer of skin), meat and bone were all used from the whale to make whale oil, oil and water (gluewater), and solids (called grax or guano). Baleen plates were also extracted and sold in the early whaling industry used to make brushes, corsets and hats but no longer used after the 1930s.

How was whale oil measured?

Whale oil was initially transported in wooden barrels. 1 barrel of oil = 170 litres (35 gallons). 1 ton of oil = 6 barrels. The average output of oil from a whale at Grytviken whaling station was 56.4 barrels (1957/58 season).

Why was whale oil needed?

Whale oil was an essential commodity. It was a very clean form of oil that was used for not only in foodstuffs and soap, but also in factory as lubrication for machinery from sewing machines, cars and textile looms. Before the discovery of petroleum it was the finest source of oil.

What were the alternatives to whale oil?

Other forms of oil we now use for these things were not yet discovered or popularised, such as vegetable oils, which became more commonly used later in the 20th century.

How much was a barrel of whale oil worth?

A barrel of oil was a precious commodity and in 1957 was worth £85. This is more than the cost of a barrel of crude oil today and, taking into account historic inflation, would mean roughly a price of around £2,000 per barrel.

How many barrels could be extracted from each whale?

One whale in 1957/1958 at Leith Harbour station at South Georgia yielded 54.9 barrels (on average) – a valuable cargo. Based on the figures above it could bring in over £100,000 in today’s money. Multiply that to a season and you can see how the money added up.

Did people really eat whale oil?

It played an important role in food, especially after the Second World War. A war-ravaged Britain was still under various rationing restrictions until mid-1954 and whale products helped. Whale oil was also made into margarine and this was used instead of butter in other food items like biscuits and ice cream.

Why did men travel so far to work "at the whaling"?

Whaling provided jobs for large numbers of men from small communities that did not have many other industries. The demand for whale products, meant that men could travel away from their homes but that they would return in the Northern summers with enough money to see them and their families through.

What was the population of South Georgia during the years of whaling?

Generally it was somewhere around 1000 people on the island, except when there was a break during the Second World War and populations fell hugely. The number of women on the island did not exceed 12 during the times of the whaling industry.

How many people were employed?

1,847 people were employed by Christian Salvesen in the 1956/1957 season at South Georgia. This included all whaling expeditions, Leith Harbour station and floating factory ships. With 45% being British crew.

How much did the whalers earn in one season?

In South Georgia Museum we have a collection of pay slips from whalers. One, a boilerscrewer in Group 7, earned £436 in one 6-month season in 1957. A house in 1957 would have cost, on average, £2,000 (the equivalent of £49,000 today).

What is the population of south Georgia now?

Now, populations during the summer reach around 30 people. Around 5 people live and work in the South Georgia Museum at the old Grytviken Whaling Station, 20 who stay at King Edward Point (the main government administration point and scientific station) and four people at Bird Island (a scientific station run by the British Antarctic Survey). In the winter this drops to 14 people.

How many people visit South Georgia now?

In the 2024/2025 season we had over 15,000 visitors to the South Georgia Museum all of whom arrived by ship or boat.

How many whales were killed in total?

Over 175,000 whales were killed and processed at South Georgia.

What is a Blue Whale Unit?

Blue Whale Units were used to measure quotas. This system of measurement was obviously not scientifically accurate however, it persisted. It measured one Blue Whale equivalent to be two Fin Whales and six Sei Whales. Therefore, it was roughly based on size and yield from whale species.