Page 8 - Willem Barentsz

the captain was also expedition leader. In the early years, this was not the case. This position has also
developed over the years.

In addition to ship and cargo, the nautical service was also responsible for the course of events on
deck, i.e. the processing of the catch regarding the cooking process. That task was delegated to the
first foreman on deck. He had the whole army of deck workers under him. In addition, he was also
responsible for the maintenance of the cannons, for which training was required. This was especially
given to the Artillery Establishment Hembrug for this purpose. (Former Dutch ammunition factory).
The tank team was under the first mate. They took care of cleaning the oil tanks to be able to store
the oil and switched to the tanker to clean the tanks there.

The engineering service also consisted of many people. Under the chief engineer, the technical staff
consisted of many engineers, electricians, welders, blacksmiths, fitters, coppersmiths and grinders.
Among the engineers, there was still a distinction between engine and steam engineers. The
technical service was necessary to carry out any possible repair, if possible. Sending a catcher to
Montevideo or to Cape Town was a very expensive business.

The Medical Service included the doctor, the semi-doctor and two male nurses. Here too, it was
evident that there was no possibility to bring anyone to the mainland. The hospital and the operating
room were therefore heavily used. For many years, the chief steward acted as the permanent
anaesthetist, who had received special training for this purpose, which should not be
underestimated. The chief administrator and his three administrators took care of the extensive
administration. They also took care of the publication of the "Whale Newspaper". The administrators
were responsible for the shopkeeper, the laundryman, the hairdresser and the chief steward with his
staff of cooks, bakers, butchers, servants, the civil service masters and the cook-stewards onboard of
the catchers.

The production manager was responsible for the production process. He oversaw the management of
the laboratory technicians, the foremen factory with the cooking operators, the separator operators,
etc. Important people on board were also the two State Inspectors, who had to supervise compliance
with international regulations. They also collected material for the Zoological Laboratory in Leiden.

“Disaster trip”.

Expectations on the first trip were high. The aim was 180,000 barrels, 30,000 tons. The factory ship
was accompanied by eighteen catchers and three tankers had been chartered to transport oil and the
catch. It was a disaster trip. We went to the east, bad weather and bad catch. Continuing to the Ross
Sea, one of the two large inlets in the Antarctic continent. The Ross Sea is roughly south of New
Zealand. At the Ross Sea, Lady Luck was not in the best mood either. Then we sailed into the Ross
Sea, in the past the English expedition Balaena had taken fat catches from there. However, it always
remains a gamble, a narrow entrance through the ice with the possibility that it will close again and
that the Ross Sea will be sailed into for nothing. On closer examination, the insurance did not seem to
compensate for any damage incurred above (or below) the 70th parallel. Then steam on again. We
crossed the date line on Friday, January 13. Two days in a row Friday the thirteenth!! It had to end
badly.

The Pacific part was, as far as whales were concerned, empty, icebergs even more. Hundreds were
spotted on a radar range of 10 miles. Fortunately, at the 70th parallel there are "not many miles in a
longitude" and we were quite quickly at Peter Island (68 degrees South and 90 degrees West.) There
we finally ran into the fish, but with the rolling and other teething problems we couldn't work fast
enough. With 17,500 tons of oil and sperm oil (sperm whale oil) we steamed home after the season.