ROSS SEA WHALING

Western Star, 12 October 1926, Page 3

ROSS SEA WHALING

THE' SEASON’S OPERATIONS

Whaling operations will he resumed by the Norwegian fleet in the Ross Sea towards the end of the year. Equipped in every wav for a successful season the mother ship of the expedition the Sir James Clark Ross, left Oslo (Norway) in August for New Zealand. The whale chasers which accompanied her to the Arctic region last season have all been overhauled at Port Chalmers. These sturdy little vessels are now lying at anchor at their base -at Stewart Island, and will again journey to southern latitudes when everything in readiness

Advice received by the Norwegian Consul in Dunedin states that the Sir James Clark Ros s is expected to arrive at Stewart Island within the next two weeeks. The vessel is bringing out surplus crews f° r the chasers. These men will be landed at the Stewart Island base, and the Sir James Clark Ross will then come to port Chalmers to take in fresh water and a full supply of bunker coal. She is expected to arrive between October 20 and 25. The mother ship, after being provisioned will return to Stewart Island, and, accompanied by the chasers, will sail from the southern base about the end of October for the Ross Sea. It has been stated that a 12,000 ton tanker is accompanying the Sir James Clark Ross from Norway for the purpose of carrying the oil when refined in bulk, and also that one or two new modern chasers are on their way out from Norway. No reliable information is available concerning this report,-but it is quite evident that the Norwegian company will conduct the seasons operations on a far more extensive scale than was the case with the previous expeditions. It is expected that the fleet will operate in the Ross Sea from December to the end of March next. The Sir James Clark Ross is now within range of the Awarua wireless station. The vessel is coming out by way of the Panama Canal. She called at Newport News' some weeks ago to replenish her 1 bunkers. An Australian exchange state that is is understood that a Norwegian whal irig expedition will call at Hobart next month on the way to the Antarctic. The expedition will consist of one 14,-000-ton mother ship, and four whalers which will first visit Melbourne to pick up oil fuel. The expedition is quite separate from that already operating in the Ross Sea, and which has its permanent base at Stewart Island It is understood that the second fleet comes from Larvig, and is financed by a company which already has large interests in whaling °h the west, Coast of 'Africa. The company, it is understood has capital of 8,000,000 kroner. It is to operate somewhere off the coast of Adelie Land, and Hobart will' probably be the permanent base.