WHALE OIL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 73, 10 March 1930, Page 9

WHALE OIL

SHIPS’ VALUABLE CARGOES

BACK TO THE ANTARCTIC.

ADVENTUROUS CRUISE. Invercargill, March 9. The two factory ships of the Norwegian Rosshavet Whaling Company, the C. A, Larsen and the Sir James Clark Ross, returned to their base at Stewart Island yesterday after an adventurous cruise of four and a-hali months in the Antarctic regions. Both are heavily loaded with whale oil, the value of which is estimated at £500,000. The operations for the season were highly successful in many ways, and the season proved to be an extraordinary one in the history of the industry in the south. Competition was made over-keen by the reason of the fact that five factory ships representing four different companies were operating in the locality formerly the preserves of the Rosshavet Company. The weather throughout the season was extremely rough, and the ice pack was too thick for penetration until late in the fishing period, and operations were principally confined to the outer fringe with the result that practicallv no whaliijg was done in the Ross Sea, which is usually the chief area covered.

Accidents of various types were frequent throughout the season, the most tragic being the toss of an aeroplane with two men, attached to the Kosmos, which was on its first cruise in the whaling area. In addition, fire expedition lost the chaser Southern Star. The most successful of the chasers operating with the factory ship was the Southern Princess. All of the factory ships which penetrated the ice to the Ross Sea late in the season were more or less damaged, two of them springing serious leaks which involved a good deal of pumping to keep down the rising water.

The new 23,000 ton factory ship Kosmos, which is returning to the base at Wellington, is reported to have on board a cargo of 11(5,000 barrels of oil at an estimated vajue of yu, 0,1100. This is a world’s record catch.

A few New Zealanders accompanied the expedition, and on deck duty experienced the hardships of working in exposed situations in temperatures very much below zero.