Explosive harpoon

The explosive harpoon is a type of harpoon which uses an explosive discharge to assist in whaling. In Norway, Japan, and Iceland, the use of these harpoons is commonplace. Norway created and utilises the most technologically advanced grenades in their harpoons.

Historic versions[edit]

Albert Moore's explosive harpoon[edit]

Among many patents for explosive harpoons is Albert Moore's patented hand-dart explosive harpoon. It was invented on March 16, 1844 (U.S. Patent No. 3,490). This was the first handheld explosive harpoon ever invented.^[1]

Charles Burt’s explosive harpoon[edit]

Patented on May 6, 1851, by Charles Burt of Belfast, Maine (U.S Patent No. 8,073), this was the second harpoon of its kind.

Types of explosive harpoons[edit]

Mounted[edit]

'Mounted' is a term for a broad range of explosive harpoons, as this variant can be mounted onto a ship it is generally bigger and more powerful than a hand thrown explosive harpoon. This type of harpoon is spring operated as explosive discharges which are more common in other forms of harpoons have proven to be volatile and delicate in the 'mounted' variant.^[2]^[3]

Hand thrown[edit]

Hand thrown harpoons have been developed over time and now incorporate a gun or a ballistic type firing system.^[4]