ROSS SEA WHALERS

Otago Witness, Volume 1851, Issue 3809, 15 March 1927, Page 25

ROSS SEA WHALERS

RETURN OF SHIPS. AN ADVENTUROUS CRUISE. ROUGH WEATHER ENCOUNTERED. INVERCARGILL, March 13. After an adventurous cruise of over five months in the Antarctic, the first detachment of the Ross Sea Whaling Company’s fleet, the Sir James Clark Ross and the five chasers, returned to Paterson’s Inlet, Stewart Island, yesterday morning. The 13,000-ton factory ship had been forced to leave the Ross Sea earlier than was expected owing to a shortage of coal. Her catch consisted of 254 whales, yielding 22,734 barrels of oil. The second factory ship and fleet belonging to the Ross Sea Company, consisting of the C. A. Larsen, three star chasers, and the Karrakatta and Pagodroma, is still inside the ice-barrier. She has already taken over 40,000 barrels, and proposes to remain inside the ice until the 50,000 mark is reached. The value of a barrel of oil is approximately £6, so that the intrepid Norwegians hope to take nearly £500,000 worth of oil away with them.' Last year the company reaped a clear profit of 40 per cent, on the return of the oil during the cringe. A whaling fleet belonging to a rival company, which has its base at Hobart, was encountered inside the Ross Sea. This vessel, the N. T. Neilsen Alonzo, is commanded by Captain Gjersten, 'a veteran ice pilot and polar explorer, also had a satisfactory season, and on one occasioh had 4$ whales tied alongside. When the Sir James Clark Ross left it v?as estimated that the rival vessel had about 27,000 barrels of oil on board. ENTERING THE ICE;

The Sir James Clark Ross left Paterson’s Inlet for the Ross Sea on November 3, and experienced good weather until the pack ice surrounding the Polar Cap was reached. Navigation became slow, and icebergs were sighted continually. On one occasion 41 enormous bergs, •some of them miles long and all a magnificent Prussian blue colour, cruised slowly down the ice lanes past the fleet. In the space of an hour the smaller chasers had a rather eventful trip through the ice. On one occasion a chaser ran herself almost high and dry on the floe, and another little vessel smashed every blade of her propeller on the ice. Twentyone (lays after entering the ice open water was reached near Couhnan .Island, off the desolate coast of Victoria Land. The total distance traversed through the ice was 1157 miles. Numerous whales which had swum down from the tropics came up to blow at the edge of the ice barrier, •and the chasers scattered out hunting in all directions. Shortly afterwards the Star 6 returned with her flag flying triumphantly and towed the first catch of the season, a 90ft blue whale. A FIRE ON BOARD. The following day was fine and warm and four more whales were captured. Next morning, while one of the mammals was being cut up on the meat deck, flames were seen issuing irom between the double row of huge digesters. The fire spread rapidly along the oil-soaked decking, and it was not until half an hour later that the flames were subdued by means of hoses. The only damage done was the burning of the wooden planking with which the iron decks were sheathed. As yet whales were comparatively scarce, though one monster 118 ft in length was brought by Star 7. A RAGING BLIZZARD. On December 10 the Sir James Clark Ross had five whales lashed alongside, but two other chasers were unable to deliver their catches owing to a violent westerly roll and a biting gale. At about 3.30 p.m. the gale rose to a blizzard, and tremendous seas carried away one of the whales from its moorings alongside the mother ship. Star 1, which had two whales in tow, found herself in difficulties, and the captain was compelled to cast the fish adrift. On account of the seas running at the time there was a grave danger of one of the whales being thrown on top, of the little vesesl. In the meantime Star 3 made a spectacular dash in pursuit of the whale which had been torn away from the mother sliip, and, after great difly. Ity, the crew succeeded in reshackling it and hanging on without capsizing.

During the night the wind increased in violence and all the whales were torn from their moorings. Spare propellors and other heavy ge>ar broke from their lashings and slid about the deck. As the Sir James Clark Ross wallowed tremendous seas broke over the ship’s bows from time to time, and her waist was deluged with spiffing seas. , The little whale catchers had an unenviable experience, and were half submerged under the'green water-most of the time. At intervals the officers of the mother ship would anxiously scan the horizon to see that none was missing. SHORTAGE OF COAL. By Monday, December 13, the chasers were running short of coal. Early in the afternoon, when, the gale had moderated, Star 1 steamed up with empty bunkers and four whales in tow. During the blizzard she had salvaged five of the lost whales, but one had subsequently been carried away again in a heavy squall. The ship was considerably, battered both her port and starboard railings being stove in when the whales rolled alongside. Three more Star boats turned up later, each towing fish. After the had been flensed, cut up, and boiled down the fleet sailed for Coulman Island, and anchored close to the inaccessible coast - of Victoria Land. Those on board saw a magnificent sight when the sun flashed on the tremendous ice cliffs rising perpendicularly hundreds of feet above the fleWIRELESS RECORD.

Next day great excitement prevailed when a unique -event took place—the delivery of the. first mail in Ross Sea. The mail was brought down by the C. A- Larsen, which left Patterson’s Inlet over a fortnight after the Sir James Clark Ross. The same day the wireless operators succeeded in putting up what is probably a record for any ship

by communicating with far off Norway. Over 140 Christmas messages were transmitted from the crew. DISCOVERY INLET. The ordinary routine of the cruise' was carried out uneventfully for several weeks. Star 2 was then sent off to Discovery Inlet, near the Bay of Whales, on a prospecting crujse, and on her return reported that fish were plentiful, over 200 having been sighted from the Bay of Whales to the entrance of the ground. The entire fleet of 10 vessels, therefore, sailed for the inlet where bad weather was experienced. * Whales, however, -were plentiful, and the chasers were kept constantly busy. The. largest whale captured during the cruise was killed here. 'The mammal measured 125 ft and realised 175 barrels of" oil valued at about £l’o7o. HUGE ICEBERGS. Huge icebergs were plentiful, and from time to time huge sections of the barrier ice cliff would come crashing, down to augment the number at sea. The largest berg was a mountain of ice rising .3000 ft above the water and. several miles in length. The intense cold and heavy seas made flensing -impossible. On Sunday, February 13, the, temperature was 27 degrees below zero. The heaters were frozen and useless and-all the gear was coated -with ice to a depth of several inches. - A/huge block of ice breaking away from the barrier drove the fleet out of the inlet again. For days on end . the fleet wallowed in bad weather, unable to deal with ’the whales brought alongside, and life became hard and monotonous for the crew. A shortage of coal precluded any further stay in the inhospitable inlet, and on February 28 the last whale was brought in by Star 3. Immediately after the fish had been flushed and cut up the Sir James Clark Ro&s ; set sail for heme. Transit through the ice was more or less easy and the - South, Cape of Stewart Island, was a welcome spot: for the 15 New Zealanders on board. The vessel was sighted on Friday last. Next morning the vessels, reeking of oil, and with their .sides' scarred bv the ice, dropped anchor in Patterson’s Inlet. ”• ■./