The first evidence for whaling in Scotland is from Bronze Age settlements where whalebones were used for constructing and decorating dwelling places. Commercial whaling started in the Middle Ages, and by the 1750s most Scottish ports were whaling, with the Edinburgh Whale-Fishing Company being founded in 1749. The last company still engaged in whaling was Christian Salvesen, which exited the industry in 1963.
Dundee Antarctic Whaling Expedition, 1892, by William Gordon Burn Murdoch.
John Struthers (at left, in top hat) with the Tay Whale at John Woods' yard, Dundee, 1884, photographed by George Washington Wilson.
Graving dock, North Harbour at Peterhead. The fine, granite-built, graving dock (dry dock) was built in 1855 to meet the needs of the large Greenland whaling ships. Today it is used for the repair of fishing vessels.
Huron Glacier and McFarlane Strait on Livingston Island, South Shetlands
Christian Salvesen was a Scottish whaling, transport and logistics company with a long and varied history, employing 13,000 staff and operating in seven countries in western Europe. In December 2007, it was acquired by French listed transport group Norbert Dentressangle.
A Christian Salvesen lorry in 2009
Salvesen harpoon on The Shore, Leith
Salvesen grave in Rosebank Cemetery
Memorial to 2nd Lt Eric Thomas Somervell Salveson on house in Earl Haig Gardens, Trinity Edinburgh
