Whaler

The whale catcher was developed during the Steam-powered vesselage , and then driven by diesel engines throughout much of the twentieth century.

It was designed with a harpoon gun mounted at its bow and was fast enough to chase and catch rorquals such as the fin whale.

There have also been vessels which combined chasing and processing, such as the bottlenose whalers of the late 19th and early 20th century, and catcher/factory ships of the modern era.

Weapons were also carried on vessels visiting Pacific islands for food, water, and wood in order to defend themselves from the sometimes hostile inhabitants.

[4] At the time, many French whalers transferred to the American flag,[citation needed] the United States being neutral in the Anglo-French war.

During World War II, the Norwegian and later British Royal Navies requisitioned a number of whalers for use in a variety of functions such as minesweeping, search and rescue, and anti-submarine warfare.

Of those, the Nisshin Maru of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) is the only whaling factory ship in operation.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has clashed with the Japanese whalers in the Antarctic in confrontations that have led to international media attention and diplomatic incidents.

Perhaps the most lastingly famous fictional whaling ship is the Pequod, a "cannibal of a craft" appearing in Herman Melville's novel, Moby-Dick.