Whaling Database

For over 150 years Dundee men were involved in the dangerous job of hunting whales in the Arctic seas, drawn by the possibility of large profits. The City’s textile trade needed whale oil to soften jute fibre, and Dundee became Britain's premier whaling port. The industry closed just before the start of the First World War, as whale populations declined due to heavy fishing.

Drawn from directories, shipping registers, crew lists and other archival sources, these databases of masters, crewmen and vessels offer a snapshot of the City’s whaling industry.

Content warning: The Vessels database includes records of the annual catches of each ship, highlighting the scale of the industry at its height.

Black and white photograph depicting two sail and steam powered whaling ships, Nova Zembla and Maud, moored to an ice sheet. Men stand in the rigging and on the bowsprit of one of the ships. Rocky coast covered in snow is visible in the background.

Vessels

Black and white photograph depicting a blacksmith and his forge on the deck of whaling ship Maud, 1889. In the foreground there are tools scattered on the deck and an anvil with a hammer placed on a block. In the background the deck of the ship is visible with the base of the masts and rigging.

Crew

Black and white photograph depicting Captain William Adams, and older man with white beard and a black cap, in the crow’s nest, similar to a white barrel, sitting on the deck of his whaling ship, Maud, 1889. In the background the ship’s deck is visible, with wooden planks, rigging and a ladder.

Masters

How to find out more?

If you are researching family history, please contact the Local History Centre at Central Library, Dundee City Archives or University of Dundee Archives to find out about their rich holdings on family and local history.

They also hold important primary sources on Dundee’s Whaling Industry. Local History Centre holds Dundee Directories, John P Ingram’s Shipping Information and Ingram Papers Whaling and Sealing, the Ledger of the Tay Whaling Company and whaling material within the Lamb Collection. Dundee City Archives hold Customs and Excise Records and the Dundee Register of Shipping.

The museum cares for a whaling industry collection that is Recognised as Nationally Significant. You can discover more about the objects we hold by browsing or searching our Collections Online. Contact us to arrange a visit to see an object in store, or to find out more about areas of our collections that relate to your interests.

Whaling Database