Whaler's Head Spade
notes: label: Description
content: Once a whale was caught, killed, and brought alongside the mother ship, the outer flesh and fat layer, or blubber, was peeled off the carcass. Then the remains were drawn onto the vessel’s deck for further processing.
label: Description
content: The heavy head spade was used for decapitating the whale, by chopping through the vertebrae at the base of the animal’s skull. Then the head and bone could be further processed.
topic: label: Subject
content: Whaling
label: related event
content: Expansion and Reform
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Fisheries
label: See more items in
content: Cultures & Communities
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: Natural Resources
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: On the Water exhibit
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1990.0018.102
label: catalog number
content: 1990.0018.102
label: accession number
content: 1990.0018
objectType: label: Object Name
content: spade
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (part: handle material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 149 cm x 7 cm; 58 11/16 in x 2 3/4 in