Whaler's Allen's Gun Harpoon
date: label: date made
content: mid-1800s
label: harpoons replaced hand tools
content: late 19th century
name: label: patentee
content: Allen, Oliver
label: inventor
content: Allen, Oliver
notes: label: Description
content: In the later 19th century, guns with explosive charges shooting the harpoons took the place of hand tools for catching and killing whales. They were much safer, for they could be shot at a whale from greater distances than a hand lance could be applied. They also penetrated the whale’s skin deeper and were harder for the animal to dislodge.
label: Description
content: Gun harpoons were also far more efficient, for the steam whalers could approach the prey directly and did not need labor-intensive whaleboats and their highly trained crews any longer.
label: Description
content: Designed to be fired from a shoulder gun, this nonexplosive style of harpoon was invented by Oliver Allen of Norwich, Conn. to fasten to whales prior to killing.
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Massachusetts, New Bedford
topic: label: used
content: Whaling
label: related event
content: Expansion and Reform
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Fisheries
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Transportation
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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: Brown, James Temple. The Whale Fishery and Its Appliances
label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. Fish Commission through J. T. Brown
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AG.056230
label: catalog number
content: 056230
label: accession number
content: 012333
label: patent number
content: 5949
objectType: label: Object Name
content: harpoon
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: iron (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 45 in x 4 in x 4 in; 114.3 cm x 10.16 cm x 10.16 cm