Sandefjords Hvalfangerselskab (Sandefjord Whaling Company) was established 30 August 1906. It was the fourth company to start whaling in the Antarctic regions, making it one of the pioneers of the industry.
This book tells the story of the company’s operations at the shore whaling station Stromness in South Georgia from 1906 to 1931; when it stopped whaling from there. The development of whaling at Stromness is examined in the context of individual initiatives and entrepreneurship, as well as economic, political, technical, and resource-related factors, both locally, nationally, and internationally.
This is an abridged version of Odd Galteland’s book published in Norwegian in 2009. Some aspects of the history are left out to focus on the Norwegian-British relations and policy issues that always played a vital role in how the industry developed at South Georgia. The book also reveals the fierce competition as well as close cooperation between the whaling companies operating along the South Georgia coast.