Copra's Rival

Huge Ships Out After Whale Oil

ALL the nations are sending larger and more efficient fleets of whale-catch ers and floating factories to the Antarctic this year, and it is likely that the catch of whale oil—which has a de pressing effect on the copra market will be larger than ever. Japan and Ger many set the pace in this industry, and Britain. U.S.A., and the Scandinavian countries have followed.

International agreements, to limit the whale catch and save the whales from extermination have gone by the board.

The “Unitas”, a 21.846 ton German whale factory ship, which left Southamp ton early in November for Capetown, on her way to ninety days’ whale hunting through the Antarctic, is the biggest cargo vessel in the world, and has a bigger draught than any ship afloat.

Having taken on 38.000 tons of fuel oil, the ship had a sailing draught of nearly 40 ft., which is more than 3 ft. in ex cess of the 81,000 tons liner “Queen Mary”. . , This season a new catch-finding ap paratus is to be tried. When a whale is killed by the chasers it is pumped up with air from compressed air cylinders to make the carcase float and left to be picked up by the factory ship. It is then “flagged” to facilitate “spotting", but automatic radio beacons, which emit signals at intervals, are also attached to the carcases, so that they may be picked up even under conditions of bad visibility.

The “Unitas” will work in conjunc tion with a fleet of ten chasers in the region of the Great Barrier. She has a crew of 306. and with the men on the chasers, there is a total of 470.