Nantucket - signs of whales and whaling

The modern town of Nantucket has many images that point to its whaling heyday - here is a sample.

First here is the famous Nantucket Whaling Museum - appropriately topped with a 'sounding' (diving) sperm whale and with a classic carved whaling scene on its front aspect.

The Nantucket Whaling Museum

Museum weather vane

The harpooner does his work in this giant wall plaque on the front of the museum.

This a classic scene of 'yankee whaling' - the giant sperm whale has been rowed up to in a small boat launched from the mothership (the sailing vessel in the background left). 

The harpooner drives home one or two harpoons. The whale will attempt to flee, but the harpoons have rope attached and the rope will play out and the boat will be pulled through the water. If the whale sounds there may not be enough rope and the boat may be upended. The aim is to tire the whale and again get close to it so that it can be lanced with a long sharp pole. Its vital organs pierced, the final scene was often 'fire in the chimney' - red blood coming from the blow hole - as the animal died.

Emblem on Town Hall

A whaling ship is the symbol of the local chamber of commerce

Other whaling references around the town:

Cachelot (here a house name) is the alternative name for the sperm whale.

Queequeg's - a restaurant names after the character in Moby Dick

another whale weather vane

And there are hundreds of items for sale - like this T-shirt - that carry
the characteristic square headed form of the sperm whale

Whaler's lane

And here is a curious thing - in the back of the town's very nice book shop lurks a dolphin skeleton. 

It stranded on the island but no one seems to know why it is in the shop.

Book store dolphin skeleton/