Harpoon for Greener gun
Maker
W Fowler
Date1860s
Object number00000038
NameHarpoon
MediumMetal
DimensionsOverall: 36 x 1266 x 140 mm, 4.7 kg
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA 19th century whaling harpoon stamped W. Fowler, fired from a Greener Gun, hence known as Greener Irons.
The harpoon has double barbs, also known as stop withers.HistoryEarly killing methods were as dangerous to the crews as they were deadly to the whale. Hand-thrown harpoons merely attached a rope to the whale to stop it from escaping. Actual killing of the wounded and thrashing mammal was done at close range. A long lance pierced the lungs or heart for a slow death.
Harpoon firing guns became standard from the 1850s. The Greener gun was regarded as the best of the open whaleboat guns. It was mounted on a swivel base in the bow and fired double barbed steel harpoons. William Greener of Birmingham, England, devised the method in 1837. The mechanism for firing usually consisted of a hammer that struck a pair of percussion caps. The harpoons used in Greener guns changed very little over the years, but the head changed as the hand-darted irons changed.SignificanceThis harpoon is typical of the 1860s whaling period in the Southern Seas.
19th century
