The Truth About Soviet Whaling

Abstract

"'Is there not a real greatness in whalers? Heaven itself testifies to the greatness of our profession.' Thus wrote the seaman, whaler, and greatest writer of America, Herman Melville, in the most prominent novel of the 19th century, Moby Dick (1851). Without doubt, in the 19th century it was like this. In those times the whaling business was one of the most dangerous professions; whalers entered into single combat with a whale and were not always the winners. Lengthy and arduous whaling expeditions on sailing ships in unknown waters, knowledge of the sea and a love of it, all allowed Melville to speak with enthusiasm of this profession. The last few decades of Soviet large-scale whaling had nothing in common with greatness or heroism. The powerful catchers with artillery-like harpoon guns, harpoons that pierced a whale, and sonar to follow the whale underwater, all left the whale with no chance. And there was nothing resembling single combat."