During the mid-19th century, they were used in vessels suppressing the slave trade off Africa, in the surf conditions that prevailed in this work.

Rear Admiral Victor Alexander Montagu (1841–1915) proposed a few changes to the standard whaler.

They were heavy and handled poorly, and were superseded by the Motor Whaler Mod 1. which abandoned the sailing rig.

His ancestor, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, served as First Lord of the Admiralty and sponsored the voyages of Captain James Cook.

In December 1853 he joined HMS Princess Royal, a 91-gun screw-propelled second-rate, as a midshipman junior officer, where he became A.D.C.

[5] and was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list on 14 February 1892[9] The whaler was often the largest boat on many of the smaller warships.

It is equipped with water, food and other stores in case the boat should be separated from the ship for any length of time.

[10]: 33, 244–252 The role of the seaboat was varied, including transfer of personnel between ships whilst at sea and recovering a man overboard.

During wartime, this list extended with the rescue of survivors from sunken ships and crash-landed aircraft, gathering the (sometimes gory) evidence of the destruction of a U-boat and, in several instances, boarding of German vessels to capture code books and other associated material.

The desire to hook up to the shore electricity has caused warships go alongside a jetty, wharf, or quay.

[3] When whalers were replaced by rigid inflatables, some were passed down to auxiliary reserves and sea cadet units as training vessels.

The Swan took part in the 2019 Great River Race in London, completing the course in 3 hr 15 min 10 sec.

[13] The Swan was a typical Montagu, she was badly burnt then was acquired by Bernie Bruing in the 1960s and towed to Cornwall Beach where she was restored and used for family boat trips.

Bernie Bruing wrote the folk song ‘The Lament to the Passing of the Montagu Whaler’[14] Steve Evans, of the Bristol Charity All Aboard Watersports, came across her while doing internet research, and obtained her for a few pounds and brought her to Bristol to be fully restored at Underfall Yard then to join the All Aboard Watersports fleet.