How do you get rid of a stranded whale?

In autumn 1970, an eight-ton whale washed up dead on the coast of Oregon in the United States. What should be done with it? Leaving it to decay was out of the question because of the smell; burying it where it lay was not possible; nobody wanted to cut it up; burning it was not practical… Then someone suggested simply blowing the whale into the air, with enough explosives to break it into small pieces that gulls, crabs and other scavengers could eat.

The city authorities thought the idea was good and carried it out on 12 November 1970, exactly fifty years ago. They “strategically” placed half a ton of explosives around the body, moved onlookers 400 metres away and — boom.

As you can imagine, it did not go as the officials had planned. The explosion scattered pieces of whale more than 400 metres away, spreading an unbearable smell. Larger pieces also flew through the air and caused considerable damage, while a large part of the whale remained intact and had to be buried where it lay. To complete the disaster, the explosion frightened the gulls away as well…

Television cameras recorded the whole event. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the “exploding whale”, the footage was restored and uploaded to YouTube. Here it is:

Source: KATU News/YouTube

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