Whaling Harpoon Cannon
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk · Rifle · In Production · 1870
Also known as: Harpoon Cannon, Grenade Harpoon Gun, Whale Gun
Overview
The whaling harpoon cannon is a bow-mounted, single-shot black-powder (later smokeless) gun that fires a barbed grenade harpoon trailing a line into a whale. Invented and perfected by Norwegian whaler Svend Foyn, who built the first steam whale-catcher in 1863 and patented the combined grenade-harpoon cannon in 1870, it made fast rorquals catchable for the first time and launched the industrial whaling era. The harpoon's barbed head hooks the whale, then an explosive charge in the head detonates a moment later to deliver the killing wound while the attached line hauls the carcass in. Modern Norwegian-built cannons in 50mm and 90mm bores remain in use for legally permitted whaling.
Specifications
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 95 m/s (312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 46 m (50 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
Calibers
- 90mm Harpoon · primary — also known as grenade harpoon, 50mm harpoon, 70mm harpoon
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Features: Pedestal Mounted, Single Shot, Grenade Harpoon, Explosive Projectile, Line Attached
Variants
- 50mm Minke Whale Cannon — Smaller Bore
Service history
Operators
- Norwegian Whaling Fleet · adopted 1870
- Icelandic Whaling Fleet
- Japanese Whaling Fleet
Production
Production years: 1870-present
Still produced in limited numbers for the legal whaling fleets of Norway, Iceland, and Japan
Origin
Country of origin: Norway
Designer: Svend Foyn
Notes
Bore varies by era and target: ~70mm in Foyn's day, 90mm for the classic large cannon, 50mm for the modern minke-whale gun. Modern cannons are made by Kongsberg (Norway), Henriksen (60mm, Norway), and Miroku (75mm, Japan). Full-scale cannon weight and barrel length are not documented in accessible sources. Effective range (~46m) rests on a single loose '50 yards' source. Catalogued under the rifle category as the closest available shoulder/long-arm classification for this long gun.
Background
Svend Foyn's pairing of the steam whale-catcher with the exploding grenade harpoon revolutionized whaling and is credited with giving Norway dominance over the great rorquals. Deeply religious, Foyn regarded whaling as a divine calling, and his name endures on the map of Antarctica.