Sandefjord harbour with Preståsen and "the grain tank". Picture from 1961.

Many whaleboats have returned from the South Polar Ocean to their hometown Sandefjord. See the crow's-nests from which they were looking for whales. The clever gunners on these boats were well paid.

Whale factory ships unload their products.

The shipyard Framnes Mekaniske Verksted. 1961.

Many of the new buildings built at Framneæs mek.Værksted went to the fleet registered in Sandefjord. The history of Framnæs mek.Værksted is long and unique. It wouldn't be much for living in Sandefjord if it wasn't for the shipping industry and the shipyard Framnæs mek Værksted with its expertise. First hand knowledge of reconstructing tankers, passenger vessel's and so on to whaling factories. Reconstructing the first ever built slip way for whales to be brought from water level to deck (Lancing in 1925), and so on.

Whale boats and whale factory ships at Sandefjord harbour in 1961.

The whalers on leave in Sandefjord for the summer made excellent customers for the local business community. In addition, engineering workshops and other production companies also experienced prosperous times. In 1954, more than 2 800 men from the district were hired as crew on the whalers.

From the mid 1950's whaling was gradually reduced. The occurrence of whales in the Antarctic had dwindled catastrophically, and protection interests increased constantly. A gradual readjustment to tankers indicates that the trade itself understood that the extraordinary era of whaling was coming to an end. The number of southbound expeditions were rapidly decreasing during the 1960's, and the 1967/68 season became the last for Sandefjord.

Today the memories from this important period of the city's history is being kept alive through the whaling museum and the restored whaler Southern Actor, which is docked at the museum quay.