WHALE DISABLES SHIP.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 28 August 1929, Page 8

WHALE DISABLES SHIP.

TR EM END 01! S ASB AULT. flu res Struck propeller VANCOUVER. .Tiilv 49. When the modern stool steamers go a-iiunting the whale off the west coast of Vancouver -Island, the whale usually gels off second best, but when the Consolidated Whaling Company's vessel Blue was rammed by a 70-ton monster •of Rose Harbour. Queen Charlotte Islands., it looked for a while as though the ship would fare worse ilian tlie (whale. With Captain Alex Anderson in command. the men aboard the whaler harpooned a big sperm whale, and thought everything (was according to schedule until it started to struggle. There was more fight in this whale than in the majority, of it turned in its tracks and made for the steamer. Tts huge flukes struck the tail shaft and propeller as it dived under the ship with such force that the'mechanism was disabled. 'Then -men aboard the whaler, however. stayed with the battle ami succeeded in bringing both ship and whale, to port. The shiip had to be sen, to Esquimau dry dock for repairs. ‘‘‘Anybody claiming there’s no excitement in whaling these days better go and try it." said Captain Anderson. “We had. plenty of thrills —in fact, a fef.v too many—when the big follow started cutting up under the ship. Every time lie struck the ship’s hull we felt the vibration and wondered what was going fo happen next.’’