Pico, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001)
The last whaling factory in the Azores operated at São Roque do Pico, from the cais (dock) along the waterfront. Whalers killed and harvested their prey in local waters. Then they delivered carcasses to the dock, where workers extracted oil and processed flesh and teeth. During its heyday, whaling made São Roque do Pico an important economic engine in the Azores.
The Portuguese stopped hunting whales in the archipelago long ago and left the factory abandoned and idle. Today it serves as a museum (Museu da Indústria Baleeira), appearing almost the same as when it shut its doors. It reminds visitors of the old whaling industry that once existed there (map).
A statue of a whaler stalking his target appeared along the dock outside the museum. The copper man and his boat rode bronze waves in dramatic fashion. It is amazing that these seafarers in their tiny open-air boats went up against massive whales that could have easily crushed them.
The Hunt
A museum display includes one of the deadly seafaring implements, a harpoon for hunting whales. This gun-like instrument shot a sharp iron barb deep into its prey.
A Time Capsule
Everything remains as it once was inside the factory museum. Notice in particular the vintage truck that appears in the background of the photograph. I don’t know enough about old automobiles to tell the exact year of production, but it appears to be from perhaps the 1940’s?
Rendering
This industrial looking piece of equipment inside the factory once served as a rather gruesome cooking vessel used in the rendering process. Notice the bucket on a tether in the foreground. Workers used it to transport remnants of whales from one area of the factory floor to another.
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