THE HISTORIC CHIEF SKUGAID

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    • Built 1913
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Mother-ship for halibut dories.

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Halibut schooners from 1880 to 1940 carried several dories nested on deck. Every day on the halibut grounds, the dories were launched at half-kilometer intervals while the vessel ran at half-speed to maintain stability.
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Two crewmen were left in each dory to fish with handlines. The mother-ship had to return and locate each dory before nightfall, or the fishermen would spend the night adrift on the ocean.  Four photos, courtesy the Pacific Halibut Commission.
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As the dory came alongside loaded with hundreds of pounds of halibut, getting the fish transferred to the mothership-- then hoisting boat, men and gear aboard could be fairly simple...
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                                                         1921, University of Washington, Special Collections
...or it could be difficult and dangerous:
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See "Photos, Films, Video" in the menu-bar for two vivid films of halibut fishing.  The first, from 1920, demonstrates how dories were launched and recovered.  The second film is a home movie that shows Aleutian longlining in 1972.
Comments or questions? Click the "Contact/Comments" button in the menu at left.
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