The Whale's Tail
Whales and Whaling pictures

One of the last pieces to be brought on board ship in days of outboard flensing was the whale's tail. Flensing on deck is a much easier task, but before factory whaling started with powerful winches and a slip-way down to the sea, whales were simply too heavy to be hoisted bodily onto the deck of the ship and the design of the ship didn't make this any easier a job.