Daily AncestorBoatsteerer
A boatsteerer was the whaleboat crewman who pulled the forward oar and threw the harpoon at the whale.
Each whaleboat had a boatsteerer, also called the harpooner. He pulled the forward oar and, when the boat came close enough, threw the harpoon into the whale.
It was a skilled and better-paid position than ordinary seaman, and appears on whaling crew lists.
As seen in a recordWhaling crew lists and shipping papers
Wm. Pease, 24, Boatsteerer, ship Charles W. Morgan
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Daily Ancestor. "Boatsteerer." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/boatsteerer. Last checked 2026-10-01.