Line lock

DateCirca 1928

Mediumsteel

Dimensions4 7/8 × 2 1/2 × 16 3/4 in. (12.4 × 6.4 × 42.5 cm)

Donor credit lineKendall Whaling Museum Collection Transfer

Object number2001.100.4030

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

Description"Line lock to prevent loss of whale-harpoons." Cartridge-shaped hinged cylinder with spring-action mechanism to activate multi-toothed blades, intended to fasten on to a foregoer line (harpoon line). "If a harpoon was shot through the whale [i.e., was not embedded in the blubber and flesh] it might get lost when the line was cut. To prevent this, the line-lock could be fastened to the line from the [chaser-]boat before cutting it." (Prof. Bjorn Basberg to SMF, 7 Dec. 2005). Invented and patented by Anton Gjelstad of Sandefjord, Norway, Patent No. 46566, 14 July 1928. These were used only infrequently.ProvenanceSouth Georgia Whaling Museum, 06/29/1995, GIFT

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