19 Whaling Season 1962/1963

This letter, to Hennry Moen was sent from Skollenborg, on 27-11-1962, to the agency S. Haug & Co. Ltd. Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad. The surname Haug indicates that the agent is supposedly Norwegian. The motor tanker Thorshavn would pick up fuel oil in Trinidad and then go to the whaling grounds, where they ship the factory ship Thorshøvdi would meet with fuel oil and mail. Then she would take the whale oil from the factory ship, and  Leaving back to Europe.

Rate: letter up to 20 grams abroad was 90 øre, from 1-4-1959 to 1-1-1969. Airmail rate, for middle and South America between 1-8-1953 and 1-7-1971 was 50 øre per 5 grams. Total postal value 150 øre.

Thorshødvi, built in 1948, tonnage 18361 gr.t, owner Odd AS Sandefjord. Stamp booklet, published in 2000, by Sandefjord Filatelistklubb in collaboration with the Whale Museum in Sandefjord.


This letter, to Gunner Kragemo, was sent from Hvittingsfoss 12.10.1962 to the agency in Port Said Egypte, arrival 15.10.1962. Hvittingfoss is a village in the Kongsberg municipality.



He was working on Whale factorie ship “Thorshovidi”. Rate: letter up to 20 grams abroad was 90 øre, from 1-4 -1959 to 1-1-1969. Airmail rate, for Middle East Asia between 1-4-1959 and 1-7-1971 was 25 øre per 5 grams. Total postal value 120 øre.

This airmail letter, sent from Sandefjord 24.10.1963,  and is addressed to Anton Nilsen, worked on board of whale factory ship  “Sir James Ross” or one of her catchers. The agency was Ellerman & Bucknagel Ltd, Durban South Africa.

                                                            Sir James Clark Ross 1952 at sea

Rate: letter up to 20 grams abroad was 90 øre, from 1-4-1959 to 1-1-1969. Airmail rate, for South Africa between 1-8-1953 and 1-7-1971 was 50 øre per 5 grams. Total postal value 140 øre.

Japanese refrigerator ship “Itsukushima Maru” first sailed to Durban, South Africa to pick up mail and some commodities for Sir James Clark Ross, then sailed to the whaling grounds to meet the factory ship. After transferring the meat, she would sail back to Japan directly. A refrigerator ship  is a ship meeting up with a factory ship on the whaling grounds taking aboard whale meat for either human consumption or animal consumption and freezing it. The Japanese still use whale meat (and also whale blubber) for consumption in 2020. 

Japanese refrigerator ship “Itsukushima Maru”


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