ON THE HUNT WITH THE BASQUE WHALERS
After the wreck of a Basque galleon—thought to be the San Juan—was discovered off the coast of Canada, National Geographic wrote about its exploration in 1985. Now, we revisit the 16th-century ship’s history to illustrate what we’ve learned about the risks and rewards faced by the Basques in the new lands they called Terranova. Their quarry: baleen whales and the oil from their blubber, worth millions in today’s dollars.
PORT OF PASAJES, SPAIN
PREPARING FOR THE TRIP
Casks loaded with beans, dried peas, bacon, and ship’s biscuits (flour-and-water crackers) sustained the crew. Hearty meals were washed down with wine and hard cider and supplemented with berries, fish, and whale meat, when available.
STRAIT OF BELLE ISLE, CANADA
HOW THEY HUNTED
Scouts patrolled in small boats called chalupas, signaling to other crews when they spotted whales in the Strait of Belle Isle. Skippers of the chalupas, each typically carrying six oarsmen and a harpooner, directed their crews to row in haste—but stealthily—toward the surfacing or sleeping giants.
RED BAY, CANADA
READY TO RETURN
The Basques were the master whalers of their day, but not all their ships weathered the voyages. Seamen’s court testimony and insurance claims tell of a costly end to the San Juan: driven into the rocks by violent winds before departure in 1565. But the crew survived, many barrels were recovered, and the Basques dominated the hunting grounds of the north into the next century.
OUTFITTING THE SAN JUAN
Canadian researcher Selma Huxley Barkham pored over Basque archives detailing the fate of the ship and how it was provisioned—
analysis that helped locate the 1565 wreck.
SHIP WEIGHT
CARGO
209
tons
239
tons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Legend
5 copper
cauldrons
Ship’ s biscuits:
240 barrels
1
5
1,000 barrels were transported in pieces to
preserve space.
5 whaleboats
(chalupas)
2
6
Floorboards could be
removed to fit barrels
on return trips.
3
7
Cider: 220 barrels
Stones secured
barrels.
8
Small barrels:
sardines,
olive oil,
bacon
4
9
Wine
WATER LEVEL
PACKING THE WHALE OIL
Barrels were interlocked to prevent shifting and maximize space. On a typical return voyage, chalupas may have been left behind and some men given extra wages to winter in Red Bay to allow more room for oil.
CARGO
tons
290
10
11
12
13
Fifteen to 20 whales yielded enough oil to fill the cargo hold.
Legend
Bundles of baleen—in higher demand at the end of the 16th century—were stacked and bound.
13
10
Cider
Barrels of ship’s
biscuits, cod
11
1,000 barrels
of whale oil
12
WATER LEVEL
MASTER AND COMMANDED
On a typical voyage, the captain handled navigation and ship operations; the master managed shore operations and cargo. A ship of this size usually had a crew made up of 60 to 65 men and boys.
Captain
Master
Steward (shipboard accounts)
Boatswain (rigging and sails)
Gunner
Carpenter
Caulker
Flenser (strips blubber)
5
Coopers (barrelmakers)
5
Chalupa skippers
5
Harpooners
20
Seamen
16
Apprentices
16TH-CENTURY PROFIT SHARING
The ship’s owners, outfitters, and crew each got a third of the cargo. The captain and master negotiated their share with the owners and outfitters, and the crewmembers’ shares varied based on their position.
$10,000,000
$10,000
per barrel
total value of cargo
in 2018 dollars
Owners and
captain
Outfitters
and master
Crew
Barrels per person
12
8
Officers
Harpooners
4
3
Seamen
Apprentices
PACKING THE WHALE OIL
OUTFITTING THE SAN JUAN
Canadian researcher Selma Huxley Barkham pored over Basque archives detailing the fate of the ship and how it was provisioned—analysis that helped locate the 1565 wreck.
Barrels were interlocked to prevent shifting and maximize space. On a typical return voyage, chalupas may have been left behind and some men given extra wages to winter in Red Bay to allow more room for oil.
5 copper cauldrons
Fifteen to 20 whales yielded enough oil to fill the cargo hold.
5 whaleboats (chalupas)
Cider
Floorboards could be
removed to fit barrels
on return trips.
Barrels of ship’s
biscuits, cod
Small barrels: sardines,
olive oil, bacon
1,000 barrels
of whale oil
Ship’ s biscuits:
240 barrels
WATER LEVEL
WATER LEVEL
1,000 barrels were
transported in pieces
to preserve space.
Bundles of baleen—in higher demand at the end of the 16th century—were stacked and bound.
Cider: 220 barrels
Stones secured barrels.
Wine
MASTER AND COMMANDED
16TH-CENTURY PROFIT SHARING
On a typical voyage, the captain handled navigation and ship operations; the master managed shore operations and cargo. A ship of this size usually had a crew made up of 60 to 65 men and boys.
The ship’s owners, outfitters, and crew each got a third of the cargo. The captain and master negotiated their share with the owners and outfitters, and the crewmembers’ shares varied based on their position.
OFFICERS
Owners and
captain
$10,000,000
total value of cargo
in 2018 dollars
Caulker
Gunner
Carpenter
Steward
(shipboard
accounts)
Boatswain
(rigging and sails)
Captain
Master
Outfitters
and master
$10,000
per barrel
Crew
OFFICERS
20
16
Barrels per person
5
5
5
Flenser
(strips
blubber)
Harpooners
Officers
12
8
Coopers
(barrelmakers)
Seamen
Apprentices
Chalupa
skippers
Harpooners
4
Seamen
Apprentices
3
OUTFITTING THE SAN JUAN
PACKING THE WHALE OIL
Canadian researcher Selma Huxley Barkham pored over Basque archives detailing the fate of the ship and how it was provisioned—analysis that helped locate the 1565 wreck.
Barrels were interlocked to prevent shifting and maximize space. On a typical return voyage, chalupas may have been left behind and some men given extra wages to winter in Red Bay to allow more room for oil.
SHIP WEIGHT
209
tons
Fifteen to 20 whales yielded enough oil to fill the cargo hold.
5 copper cauldrons
CARGO
CARGO
239
tons
tons
290
5 whaleboats (chalupas)
Cider
Floorboards could be
removed to fit barrels
on return trips.
Barrels of ship’s
biscuits, cod
Small barrels: sardines,
olive oil, bacon
1,000 barrels
of whale oil
Ship’ s biscuits:
240 barrels
WATER LEVEL
WATER LEVEL
1,000 barrels were
transported in pieces
to preserve space.
Bundles of baleen—in higher demand at the end of the 16th century—were stacked and bound.
Cider: 220 barrels
Stones secured barrels.
Wine
MASTER AND COMMANDED
16TH-CENTURY PROFIT SHARING
On a typical voyage, the captain handled navigation and ship operations; the master managed shore operations and cargo. A ship of this size usually had a crew made up of 60 to 65 men and boys.
The ship’s owners, outfitters, and crew each got a third of the cargo. The captain and master negotiated their share with the owners and outfitters, and the crewmembers’ shares varied based on their position.
OFFICERS
Owners and
captain
$10,000,000
Caulker
Gunner
Carpenter
Steward
(shipboard
accounts)
Boatswain
(rigging and sails)
Captain
Master
total value of cargo
in 2018 dollars
Outfitters
and master
$10,000
OFFICERS
20
per barrel
Crew
16
5
5
5
Barrels per person
Flenser
(strips
blubber)
Coopers
(barrelmakers)
Seamen
Apprentices
Chalupa
skippers
Harpooners
Harpooners
Officers
12
8
4
Seamen
Apprentices
3
FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA, RILEY D. CHAMPINE, Daisy Chung, and EVE CONANT, NGM STAFF; PATRICIA HEALY. SHIZUKA AOKI and ELIJAH LEE, BIORENDER (BOWHEAD WHALE, INTERNAL ANATOMY). SOURCES: XABIER AGOTE and MIKEL LEOZ AIZPURU, ALBAOLA Basque Maritime Heritage Association; BRAD LOEWEN, UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL; NINYA MIKHAILA AND JANE MALCOLM-DAVIES, THE TUDOR TAILOR; J. CRAIG GEORGE, DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, UTQIAĠVIK, ALASKA; ROSALIND ROLLAND, ANDERSON CABOT CENTER FOR OCEAN LIFE, NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM; Brenna Frasier, Saint Mary’s University, Nova Scotia; cindy gibbons, Parks Canada