Whalecraft often feature various markings. One common mark is the blacksmith's stamp, which is typically impressed into the iron while it is red hot from the forge. This stamp is usually found on the head of a harpoon, lance blade, or spade, but it can also appear on the shaft of a Greener gun iron or other large irons. There is no specific location for this mark, but examples include initials like "I.A." on a harpoon socket from Scotland or names like "E. Parker" or "A.J.P." for Ambrose J. Peters. These marks can help date an iron and identify its origin, such as Fairhaven, New Bedford, or Nantucket, based on the blacksmith's location. Another mark sometimes stamped into
the head is "Cast Steel," indicating a superior blade made from forged cast steel stock. This designation became economically viable after the 1850s, following the introduction of the Bessemer process, which made steel more affordable compared to the previously cost-prohibitive material.
Another significant mark found on harpoons, but not other whalecraft, is the ship's
identification and sometimes the specific whaleboat's identification. This practice ensured that if a whale was struck and lost, and later captured by another ship, the original ship could claim the whale based on the harpoon's mark. This principle is rooted in an old law stating, "Craft claims the whale." Capt. W. H. Macy of Nantucket detailed this in his 1877 book, "There She Blows! or, The Log of the Arethusa":
"The general rule among whalemen is that 'marked craft claims the fish as long as he is in the water, dead or alive.' Harpoons are typically marked with the ship's name or an abbreviation, cut with a small chisel near the head of the shank. This mark claims the whale if found before the blubber is stripped. If another ship has begun cutting, the original claimant can only take what is below the cut. This whaler's law, settled by usage, is deemed fair and just."
Before use, a harpoon was cleaned of preservative paint and rust, and then sharpened. The ship's and whaleboat's identification were crudely etched into the head with a chisel or formed by a series of dots made by a punch. These identifications were often initials, such as "E.H.A." for Eunice H. Adams, or abbreviations
the type of whaleship, such as "B.GLA." for Bark Glacier, shown at the left . If a harpoon does not bear these marks, it was not
of the ship's name, like "B.GLA." for Bark Glacier. If a harpoon lacks these marks, it was likely not selected for use and mounted on a pole. It is notable that British harpoons often had the ship's name stamped into the head or heavy part of the shaft with a blacksmith's stamp and frequently included a date. An example is a harpoon bearing the name of the whaleship CHIEFTAIN from Kirkcaldy, Scotland.
The whaleboat identification was also inscribed on a harpoon to track how many whales each boat's crew successfully captured. This practice allowed for assessing crew performance and making reassignments if necessary.
It also fostered a spirit of friendly rivalry among the crews. These marks were typically found on the opposite side of the harpoon head from the ship's identification. They could be letters, such as "WB" for Waist Boat, Roman numerals (easier to chisel), or a series of dots made with a punch point. Whaling ships and barks were often referred to as "four boaters" because they generally carried four whaleboats on their davits. Some Arctic steamers, however, carried an additional fifth boat on the starboard bow, known as the Starboard Bow Boat.
Typically, there was no whaleboat at the starboard waist due to the location of the cutting-in stage. However, in rare instances, Arctic whalers did carry a Starboard Waist Boat. One such example was the Arctic Steamer Karluk. The Karluk focused on taking whalebone, not blubber, and it appears that the Starboard Waist Boat would stay in the water to assist in removing the baleen. After the work was completed and the whale was cut adrift, the boat would be hoisted back onto the cranes.
An unusual marking for the Starboard Waist Boat was found on a toggle iron from the Steamer Karluk, which sailed from San Francisco around 1893-1897.
From the collection of Robert Hellman, Nantucket.
These boats could be identified as:
Starboard Boat (starboard stern) ____ SB ____I________.
Larboard Boat (larboard stern) _____ LB ____ II_______..
Waist Boat (larboard waist) ________ WB ___ III ______...
Bow Boat (larboard bow)___________ BB ___ IIII or IV __....
Starboard Bow Boat_______________SBB___IIIII or V___.....
Starboard Waist Boat__________ ___SWB_____?________?
The illustration below shows the boat positions on a typical whaleship, taken from Plate 189, Fig. 1 of "The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States," Section V, History and Methods of the Fisheries by George Brown Goode, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1887.
Smaller whaleships, such as schooners, typically had only two or three boats, labeled SB (Starboard Boat), LB (Larboard Boat), and WB (Waist Boat). Some Arctic steamers carried a fifth boat on the starboard bow, marked as SBB (Starboard Bow Boat), with variations like IIIII, V, or a series of dots. The Arctic Steamer Karluk is notable for having carried a Starboard Waist Boat, with harpoons marked SWB. While there are some indications that mate's initials were sometimes used on harpoons, this was not common practice due to the difficulty of tracking changes in boat assignments. Traditionally, the starboard boat was known as the Captain's boat and was headed by the 4th mate. The larboard boat was led by the 1st mate, the waist boat by the 2nd mate, and the bow boat by the 3rd mate.
The name of the whaling port or blacksmith's city was not typically stamped on whalecraft. While there are some exceptions, such as irons marked with a city name, this was not the norm. An example is L. Cole (Luther Cole) from Fairhaven, whose name appears on a toggle head Greener iron.
Some gun harpoons made of cast iron included the inventor's name, patent indication, and date cast into the shank, although this was not always the case. A common example is the Robert Brown gun harpoon, marked "R BROWN PATD 1850." Similar markings can also be found on some shoulder guns, darting guns, and swivel guns. (See the list of U.S. patents for whalecraft).
Rare early examples of whalecraft bear an eagle stamp, indicating they were made on Nantucket in the first half of the 19th century.
One such mark features an eagle with the initials SBF above it, attributed to Samuel Brown Folger, a Nantucket blacksmith active from 1817. Another spade with an eagle stamp is marked NA, likely representing Nathaniel Atwood, a Nantucket blacksmith circa 1825. This information and photo are courtesy of Robert Hellman, Nantucket.
The example above is from a spade in Robert Hellman's collection on Nantucket.
Whalecraft did not feature markings with crewmen's names or dates, nor did they include decorative elements like flags or pictures of whales.
Note: All examples on this page are from the author's collection, unless otherwise noted. © Website originally created by Thomas G. Lytle . All rights reserved
Bibliography Harpoons History Knives Lances Links Markings Non-Whaling
Patents Poison Processing Shoulder-Guns Shoulder-gun Irons Spades Swivel Guns and Irons
