Whaler's Cutting Spade

After a whale was captured, killed, and brought alongside the mother ship, its carcass had to be processed. First, a heavy hook was set into its skin and the hook’s line was taken aboard. Set on a long wooden handle, the cutting spade was used to cut “blanket pieces,” or long, thick, wide slices of skin and blubber from the body. The whale’s flesh was then hauled aboard for further processing. This example is marked “J.D. Cast Steel.”

ID Number:

AG*237778

Material:

metal, steel

Date:

mid-1800s

Dimensions:

17 x 2 3/4 in.; 43.18 x 6.985 cm

Source:

Transfer from Bureau of Fisheries