Pacific Steam Whaleship <I>Orca</I>
date: label: Date made
content: 1894
name: label: reference material
content: Mystic Seaport Museum
notes: label: Description
content: The steam whaler <I>Orca</I> was built at San Francisco in 1882 specifically for the Pacific and Arctic whale fisheries. By the late 19th century, the Atlantic whale was too scarce due to overhunting, and whaling had moved almost completely to distant western waters to exploit the remaining whales.
label: Description
content: Measuring 177 feet in length and 628 tons, <I>Orca</I> had a 280-HP steam engine for propulsion. It also had a full suit of auxiliary sails for backup and fuel conservation. When built, <I>Orca</I> was the largest auxiliary steam whaler in the United States.
label: Description
content: The bark-rigged vessel was heavily built and braced, with a strongly raked bow to work in the Arctic ice pack. The heavy timbers and bow shape allowed it to be driven up onto the ice, where its weight helped to break through. <I>Orca</I>’s propeller had two blades so it could be aligned vertically with the stern timbers when not in use in order to protect it from the ice.
label: Description
content: Information collected by Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Conn. indicates that <I>Orca</I>, along with many other Pacific whalers, resorted to shanghaiing, or acquiring crewmen from agents ashore who forced potential crewmen onto their ships in various ways. With around two dozen whaleships clearing San Francisco each year for the Pacific whaling grounds, the need for crewmen was great.
place: label: built the Ocra
content: United States: California, San Francisco
topic: label: Subject
content: Whaling
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Work
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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: 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: Gift of the U.S. Fish Commission
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.076237
label: catalog number
content: 076237
label: accession number
content: 028022
objectType: label: Object Name
content: steamship, whaling
label: Object Name
content: model, steamship whaling
label: Other Terms
content: steamship, whaling; Maritime
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: textile (sails material)
label: Physical Description
content: metals (fittings material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 98 in x 32 in x 72 in; 248.92 cm x 81.28 cm x 182.88 cm