AllMovie

The first of three tapes in a set of episodes from The History Channel series, this program profiles the whaling ship. Prior to the mass production of petroleum, whale oil fed the lamps that lighted the United States. This in-depth program covers all aspects of whalers, from construction of these sea-going processing plants, to legends and lore surrounding the lucrative, yet perilous industry of hunting whales. Highlights include interviews with historians, a tour of a replica, a re-enactment of a whale hunt, and computer-graphic renderings of the whaling ship that help demonstrate how its unique design helped the craft fulfill its mission as one of the most important seagoing vessels of the 19th century.