VETERAN WHALER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21775, 14 October 1932, Page 4

VETERAN WHALER

NINTH VOYAGE TO ROSS SEA Captain Oscar Nilscn,who is in command of the "huge Norwegian whaling factory ship, Sir James. Clark Ross, which reached Wellington .on Monday, though still a comparatively young man, is a veteran'whaler. He is now making his ninth voyage to the Ross Sea, which in itself is an outstanding record in Antarctic navigation, more especially as all bis voyages among the icebergs aid through the heavy pack ice have been in steel ships. . . Captain Nilsen made his first voyage to the Ross Sea in 1923-24 as chief officer of the first Sir James Clark Ross, the ship which pioneered pelagic whaling operations in that quadrant of the Antarctic. The Sir" James Clark Ross was then, commanded by the late Captain 0 A. Larsen, who was probably the most famous of the Norwegian whalers and a famous explorer, and whose association with the Antarctic was-practically continuous for more than 30 years. , TO INVESTIGATE FISHERIES. In 1802 Captain Larsen went out in the sailing vessel Jason to investigate the whale fisheries in the Antarctic Ocean in the latitude of the South Shet-, lands, which lie far to the, southward of Cape Horn. In 1893-94 the Jason, accompanied by two other ships, returned to the Antarctic, and Captain Larsen made his way as far south as 68deg lOmin S. latitude on the eastern side of Graham Land, bordered by a high ice barrier. The land beyond was named Foyn Land, after Sven d Foyn, a wellknown Norwegian whaleship owner. Two small islands, both actiVe volcanoes, were also discovered. In 1902, Captain Larsen took command of the ship Antarctic, in which Dr Otto Nordenskjold, nephew of the discoverer of the north-east passage in the Arctic led a Swedish expedition. They wintered on an island south of the South Shetlands. Meanwhile the Antarctic penetrated the pack ice' in the Weddell Sea. where she was subsequently wrecked. Captain Larsen and his crew, after several months, made their way back to the island from which they, were rescued late in 1903. ■ ! DEATH OF CAPTAIN LARSEN. , Captain Larson died on board the Sir Janies Clark Ross in the Ross Sea in 1924, and his body was taken back to Norway for burial. Captain Nilsen assumed command of the ship, in which he made another voyage to the Antarctic before taking command of the well-known whaler C. A. Larsen, named, of course, after his late commander. Captain Nilsen made four voyages to the Ross Sea in the C. A. Larsen. In 1930 he took command of the new Sir James Clark Ross, his present ship, in which he made a very successful whaling cruise to the Ross Sea. Last year all the Norwegian whaling fleet was laid up owing to the slump in whale oil. In 1930-31 cruise the Sir James Clark Ross and her chasers captured 1443 whales which were treated in the Ross Sea, and produced 112,500 barrels of oil. On this, his ninth voyage to the, Ross Sea, Captain Nilsen has with him as chief officer, Mr Johan Johansen, who was formerly in command of the C. A, Larsen, which is still laid up this season; The chief steward of the Sir James Clark Ross is Mr Ole Olsen, who is associated with Captain Nilscn for the ninth time, having served with him in the old Sir James Clark Ross and the C. A. Larsen. Many other members of the crew of the present ship are also veteran whalers and old sissociates of Captain Nilsen. ' ,