Whalers is a generic term used to represent any professional that hunts huge aquatic creatures such as whales and sea serpents. As a whaler gains experience, they can perform more complicated tasks – and hence earn more. Frequently whalers are paid out as a percentage of the profit from the hunt and not paid a daily wage. The crew of a whaling ship consists of the Foremast hands/Crewman (who does the basic jobs on the ship and the flencing), Boatsteerers (row the whaleboats), the Harpooners (they are the ones that attack with the harpoon), Officers/Mates and the Captain. Products made from whales include;

·  Whale oil: This is oil rendered from the blubber.

·  Spermaceti oil: Sperm whales have an additional oil source in a cavity in their head. Pressing this waxy spermaceti oil separates it into the highest grade of oil and a superior candle wax.

·  Baleen: Some whales have plates that hang from the upper jaw to strain food from seawater. These plates, called baleen, are strong and flexible. In the fashion industry, baleen was often called "whalebone."

·  Ambergris: A substance produced occasionally in the intestines of sperm whales. Ambergris was used in fine perfumes to keep the scent from changing, and was occasionally added to wine as an aphrodisiac.

For the whaleman, it was a rough and dangerous life. Once a whale was sighted, the crew took to their whaleboats in pursuit with the immediate objective of harpooning their prey. If the harpooner successfully speared a victim, the whaleboat and its crew were treated to what was called a "Nantucket Sleigh Ride" as the whale dragged its hunters through the sea in an attempt to escape.

"The grim realty is it's basically a waiting game, a very dangerous waiting game," Millard says. "People have been dragged out to sea for entire nights. There's been examples of guys who got dragged about 120km away - and ate their own clothes to survive."

Typically, after two to three hours of this rollercoaster ride, the whale would tire, be finished off and hauled to the mother ship. Other times, whales have destroyed boats entirely. When the whale is too tired to continue fighting, someone jumps into the water and severs the spinal cord.

“The loose boat then came to the ship for a hawser to fasten round his flukes; which being done, the captain left his irons in the carcass and pulled for the ship, in order to beat to windward, and, after getting alongside, to 'cut him in.' This done, and the mammoth carcass secured to the ship by a chain round the bitts, they proceeded to reeve the huge blocks that are always made fast for the purpose to the fore and main mast head, and to fasten the cutting-in tackle. The captain and two mates then went over the sides on steps well secured, and having each a breast-rope to steady them and lean upon. The cooper then passed them the long-handled spades, which he was all the time grinding and whetting, and they fell lustily to work chopping off the blubber.

Soon after we had finished cutting in, while the ship is lying to, the business has begun in good earnest; the blubber-men cutting up in the blubberroom; others pitching it on deck; others forking it over to the side of the 'try-works;' two men standing by a 'horse' with a mincing knife to cleave the pieces into many parts for the more easy trying out, as the rind of a joint of pork is cut by the cook for roasting: the boatsteerers and one of the mates are pitching it into the kettles, feeding the fires with the scraps, and bailing the boiling fluid into copper tanks, from which it is the duty of another to dip into casks.

The whale now taken proves to be a cow whale, forty-five feet long and twenty-five round, and it will yield between seventy and eighty barrels of right whale oil (7000 to 8600 liters)."

Skill progression: The Whaling profession consists of different roles/tasks. As a whaler gains ranks in this skill, they can perform the more complicated tasks.

· Rank 1 (Foremast hands/Crewmen): The majority of the crew (65% of the crew) was made up of foremast hands. They performed daily duties of cleaning the vessel, converting the prey into sellable products, and taking turns on watch.

·  Rank 2 (Boatsteerers): These are the crew members (20% of the crew) that rowed the whaleboat into position (usually 3 to 5 per whaleboat). They then needed to hold on and keep the whaleboat afloat as the prey fled with the whaleboat attached.

· Rank 3: 

o Harpooners: These are the crew members (5% of the crew) that threw the harpoon, hoping to latch onto the whale. This began the process of the whale hunt. They enjoyed more liberties than the average crew member.

o Officers/Mates: These crew members (10% of the crew) commanded their own whaleboat, and acted as the captain’s direct supervisors of the rest of the crew.

· Rank 4 (Captain/Master): Perhaps the term Master was more applicable than captain. This individual had complete control and authority over the whaleship and its operations. As one whaling captain said to his timid crew while on the whaling grounds, “I am God.”

Rank 1: Flencing & Trying out, Rowing

· Flencing & Trying out: The individual can remove blubber from the prey (flencing) and boil it (trying out) such that it becomes oil. On average, the individual will convert 20 kg of blubber into 10 liters of oil each hour (the rest of the blubber is used to fuel the boiler or waste). Whales have (6d6+40)% of their body mass as blubber.

· Rowing: A Standard complement of whalers can row a boat at its Best speed.