William A. Tripp Collection T-430
[T-430 Harpooneer]
“Steady Tony”
(Boatsteerer ready to dart, October 4, 1923)
William H. Tripp (1880-1959, American)
2-1/2 x 4-1/4 inch film negative

HARPOONEER
Once whales were sighted and the captain gave the order, whaleboats, each manned by six men, would be lowered away to give chase. When a boat was almost touching the hulking back of the leviathan, the officer on board would call to the harpooneer at the bow oar to stand, turn, and strike. This is the moment captured here, in a dramatic photo of one of the Wanderer’s boat crews in October 1923. Once a harpoon or two was securely fastened in the whale’s back, the harpooneer would change places with the boatheader and assume the steering oar. The officer would then wield the lance that would deal the death-blow to the wounded whale. It was a dangerous business, with the lives of all six men aboard hanging upon the skill and timing of the two officers in charge.