Hvalur 8 RE-388 is an Icelandic whaling ship built in 1948 in Norway. It has been a part of the Icelandic whaling fleet operated and owned by the company Hvalur hf. since 1962.[1]

Hvalur 0
Hvalur 8 at pier in Reykjavík along with Hvalur 9.
History
Icelandic FlagIceland
NameHvalur 8
OwnerHvalur hf.
Port of registryIceland
BuilderKaldnes Mekaniske Verksted, Tønsberg, Norway
Launched1948
Acquired1962
HomeportReykjavík
Identification
Statusin active service
NotesOperated by the Coast Guard during the second Cod War
History
Icelandic FlagIceland
NameHvalur 8
OperatorIcelandic Coast Guard
Commissioned1973
Decommissioned1974
FateReturned in 1974
NotesLeased during the second Cod War
General characteristics
TypeWhaler
Tonnage460.95 GRT
Length48.16 m (158 ft 0 in) o/a
Beam8.88 m (29 ft 2 in)
Draft5.19 m (17 ft 0 in)
PropulsionSteam engine

In 1973 she was requisitioned by the Icelandic Coast Guard, repainted and armed with a cannon and subsequently used as a patrol vessel during the Second Cod War dispute with the United Kingdom.[2] Unlike its sister ship, Hvalur 9 which was renamed Týr, Hvalur 8 kept its name while in the ICG service.[3] It was returned to its owner by June 1974.

Between 1987 and 2006, commercial whaling ceased in Iceland and the whaling ships remained unused at pier. After 20-years of inactivity, Hvalur 8 was brought back into action in June 2009.[4][5] As of 2022, the ship remains active.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Nýtt og stórt hvalveiðiskip". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 3 June 1962. p. 2. Retrieved 25 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.  
  2. ^ "Hvalbátarnir snarir í snúningum og hentugir í Þorskastríðið". Vísir (in Icelandic). 13 September 1973. p. 16. Retrieved 25 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.  
  3. ^ "Hvalur 8 fær ekki guðanafn". Alþýðublaðið (in Icelandic). 28 February 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.  
  4. ^ "Til veiða eftir 20 ára hlé". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 25 June 2009. p. 2 – via Tímarit.is.  
  5. ^ "Elsta hvalveiðiskipið 64 ára". Sjómannadagsblaðið (in Icelandic). 7 June 2009. p. 11. Retrieved 25 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.  
  6. ^ "Hval 9 verður gert til góða í slippnum". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 22 March 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. ^ Kristján Már Unnarsson (22 June 2022). "Forstjóri Hvals býst við fyrsta hvalnum á land fyrir helgi". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
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