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Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Uilleam Speirs Brus 鈥� an t-Albannach a bha ainmeil airson a bhith a鈥� rannsachadh na h-Antartaig. Chaidh e don Chuan a Deas an toiseach ann an cabhlach 脿 D霉n D猫. Bha iad a鈥� coimhead airson fianais air mucan-mara a ghabhadh sealg anns a鈥� chuan sin.聽

Am measg nan soithichean a chaidh ann, bha am Balaena. Bha ise car ainmeil ann an D霉n D猫. Agus tha i car ainmeil an-diugh, oir chaidh 貌ran a sgr矛obhadh mu a deidhinn:

A noble fleet of whalers went sailing frae Dundee, all manned by British sailors to sail the ocean sea; on the west Atlantic passage none with her can compare, she鈥檚 the finest ship to make the trip, the Balaena, I declare.

Chan ann sa chuan a deas a bha am Balaena ag obair, co-dhi霉 aig toiseach gnothaich. Tha an t-s猫ist ag innse dhuinn ca鈥� robh i a鈥� dol: With the wind upon her quarter, her engines running free, there鈥檚 nae another whaler a-sailing frae Dundee, can beat the old Balaena, there鈥檚 nae need to try her on, we will challenge a鈥� baith large an鈥� sma鈥� frae Dundee tae St John.

始S e St John rubha 鈥� Cape St John 鈥� ann an Talamh an 脠isg. Anns na seachdadan dhen naoidheamh linn deug, bha mu dheich soithichean ag obair a-mach 脿 D霉n D猫. Bha iad a鈥� sealg mhucan-mara anns na cuantan mu thuath, faisg air Graonlainn.

Ro dheireadh an naoidheamh linn deug, bha na sealgairean a鈥� mothachadh nach robh na mucan-mara cho pailt 始s a b鈥� 脿bhaist. 始S e sin a bu choireach gun do she貌l an cabhlach, anns an robh am Balaena, don Chuan a Deas ann an ochd ceud deug, naochad 始s a dh脿 (1892).聽

Cha robh iad uabhasach soirbheachail, ach lean feadhainn eile orra. Mu dheireadh thall, tr脿th anns an fhicheadamh linn, bha daoine dhen bheachd gun gabhadh gn矛omhachas a st猫idheachadh. Thog iad puirt ann an South Georgia.聽

始S iomadh G脿idheal a bha an s脿s ann an sealg nam mucan-mara ann an South Georgia. Bheir sinn s霉il air 貌ran G脿idhlig a tha a鈥� cuimhneachadh nan l脿ithean sin anns an ath Litir.

I was telling you about William Speirs Bruce 鈥� the Scot who was well-known for exploring the Antarctic. He went to the Southern Ocean initially in a fleet from Dundee. They were looking for evidence of whales that could be hunted in that ocean.

Among the vessels that went there was the Balaena. She was quite famous in Dundee. And she鈥檚 quite well-known today, because a song was written about her.

鈥楢 noble fleet of whalers went sailing frae Dundee, all manned by British sailors to sail the ocean sea; on the west Atlantic passage none with her can compare, she鈥檚 the finest ship to make the trip, the Balaena, I declare.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 in the southern ocean that the Balaena was working, at least to begin with. The chorus tells us where she was going: 鈥榃ith the wind upon her quarter, her engines running free, there鈥檚 nae another whaler a-sailing frae Dundee, can beat the old Balaena, there鈥檚 nae need to try her on, we will challenge a鈥� baith large an鈥� sma鈥� frae Dundee tae St John.鈥�

St John is a point 鈥� Cape St John 鈥� in Newfoundland. In the 1870s, there were about ten vessels working out of Dundee. They were hunting whales in the northern seas, near Greenland.

Before the nineteenth century, the whalers were noticing that the whales were not as common as they had been. That is why the fleet, containing the Balaena, sailed to the Southern Ocean in 1892.

They weren鈥檛 very successful, but others followed them. Eventually, early in the twentieth century, people were of the opinion that a [whaling] business could be established. They established harbours in South Georgia.

Many Gaels were involved in whaling in South Georgia. We鈥檒l take a look at a Gaelic song that remembers those days in the next Litir.