An item reported that the North-West Whaling Company would start with the whaling season on 18 June. Her shore base was at Point Cloates. This Perth engineering firm of R. Moore and Sons which took over the base in disrepair bought two former navy Fairmiles which were renamed Norwegian Bay and Point Cloates and converted into whale chasers, costs 18.000 pound sterling for each chaser. The boats were really successful with a catch in the opening season larger than could be handled by the base. The Norwegian Bay however was wrecked and lost after striking a reef underway towards Cloates in 1950. A large part of her equipment was also lost. Despite the season was successful after borrowing the chaser Minilya from the Australian Whaling Commission which even catches 93 whales. At the end of this season were another tow Fairmiles in the Eastern States bought. While towed around North Australia one boat struck a reef off Point Cloases and was a total loss. She was towed by the second boat. To replace this loss was recently the former Customs patrol vessel Vigilant bought now at Perth, Australia to be converted into a chaser. Just as the third season was to start was the tanker Norwhale underway to the shore base disabled by engine problems and towed back to Geraldton to be repaired.
The Australian Whaling Commission would start later, her shore base was at Babbage Island. All together were in the season around 250 men at work. With a price of 180 pound sterling for a ton of oil was the expected annual profit around 1 million pound sterling. Next year was a third West-Australian whaling company to start her activities in the vicinity of Albany
No comments:
Post a Comment