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whalebone arch


whalebone arch

whalebone arch overlooking the harbour in whitby



    Hi Terry

    Interesting to read that this particular whale jaw bone isn't that old - evidently was erected in April 2003 having been donated by Alaska. It replaced an earlier one which was given to Whitby by Norway in 1963.

    The original Whale Bone Arch is in Whitby Archives & Heritage Centre and dates from 1853.

    Found this piece from the Independent On Line @ http://www.independe...ska-626615.html

    The Yorkshire port of Whitby has called off its worldwide search for whalebone to replace its crumbling whale-bone arch after a discovery in the wilderness of Alaska.

    The Yorkshire port of Whitby has called off its worldwide search for whalebone to replace its crumbling whale-bone arch after a discovery in the wilderness of Alaska.

    After nearly 40 years of buffeting by North Sea gales, the 20ft-high jawbone of a whale, erected on a clifftop overlooking Whitby's harbour entrance, had crumbled to the point where plastic replicas had to be considered.

    But the discovery of 15ft-high bones from a bowhead whale abandoned by inuits on an ice-shelf in the remote North Slope of Alaska looks likely to secure the future of the landmark.

    The port was a well-known whaling centre when the arch was first built from a 113-ton fin whale in 1963 but the industry has since gone, and with it all hope of a replacement.

    Scarborough Borough Council had been hoping the British Atlantic Survey would find bones on South Georgia, near the Falkland Islands. But none had materialised when Anchorage, its twin town in Alaska, offered the remains of the bowhead whale, which was legitimately killed by the indigenous people.

    Eileen Bosomworth, the leader of Scarborough council, said: "We are now trying to secure the necessary export and import licences to bring them to Whitby, hopefully by next spring. It is splendid news for Whitby and just the solution to the problem we always hoped for."

    The original bone dates back to 1962 when Whitby commemorated its nautical past with a whale-hunting competition. The winner was Thor Dahe, a Norwegian, who caught an 80ft, 150-ton fin whale. Its jaw-bone was erected as the Whitby arch.


    Regards

    Steve E.
    theres a spare outside the dolphin
    Yes, caught by Duke, a members here  :crazy2:

    Regards

    Steve E.