WHALECRAFT *
"They could have been shoeing horses part of the day but when they were making tools for the whale hunt, they were making "whalecraft," and the harpoons they made were called ‘irons’."
–– Robert Hellman, on whaling blacksmiths of Nantucket."
*** \
"In the 21st century, the word craft endows anything it attaches to with esteemed value. Whalecraft was crafted for hunting and processing whales, as valued in the 19th century for their oil and other 'byproducts' as they are today for the majesty that Herman Melville captured so profoundly in Moby-Dick."
"Whalecraft was the focus of the collection. It is organized into these categories: harpoons, which were used for catching whales; lances, which were used for killing them; whaling guns, which were designed for both purposes; "cutting in and trying out," tools for flensing the whale and processing it in the tryworks on board the ship."
"Many Whaleship & Whaleboat Artifacts are not 'whalecraft' as the term was understood by whalers, but these items were integral to or used aboard whaling vessels and are included in this section of the website."
"Bob’s descriptions of the whalecraft in his collection manifest an attention to detail that derives from, among other things, his training as a herpetologist. His documentation of the whalecraft in the collection is included unabridged for its value to the study of the development of the tools of the whale hunt and as a record of the material evidence of weapons employed against the natural environment in the service of industry and our "creature comforts."
"Whalecraft" does not refer to the whaling vessels themselves—the whaleships and 30-foot whaleboats that were lowered from whaleships and rowed in pursuit of whales. Whalecraft refers specifically to the tools that were used in the hunt (harpoons, lances and whaling guns), and the "cutting in and trying out" tools that were used to process whales on board the whaleship."
"Whaleship and Whaleboat Artifacts" refers to other whaling gear, instruments, and fixtures that were integral to and/or used aboard whaling vessels. Though technically not whalecraft, we have included these items here."
| 
