Bayonet from a 19th century Victorian muzzle loaded percussion military rifle
Dateafter 1853
Object number00006581
NameBayonet
MediumMetal
DimensionsOverall: 37 x 490 x 63 mm, 0.3 kg
ClassificationsArmament
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis socket bayonet with a triangular cross-section would have fitted a muzzle-loading rifle. It is thought to have been used upon a whaling vessel.HistoryWhaling has been an important industry for many cultures for centuries. Whaling provided the first fishing industry and the first exports for the colony of NSW in 1791. During the 1800s a variety of whale species were a valuable resource with their oil used in lamp fuel, lubricants and candles, their baleen in corsets and buggy whips and their ambergris in perfumes and soaps. Whaling became more industrialised as technology advanced, with the consequence of smaller whale populations each year. During the twentieth century, the industry became more controversial and controlled with quotas set for countries and cultures. Nations are generally divided into pro- and anti-whaling factions, with whale populations closely monitored by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). By 1978, whale products were no longer needed and Australia banned whaling and the import of whale products. It now supports the goal of a global ban on whaling.SignificanceThis is an example of a bayonet used for hunting large marine animals, and is representative of the whaling industry.
after 1853
