| REF. NO. | DENOMINATION | DESCRIPTION | NO. ISSUED | CONDITION | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Image courtesy of HWPH |
|||||
| 101 | 1 share | 1902, blue | 6000 #5703 |
EF | €1180 HWPH Sep 2020 |
Pacific Whaling and Fishing Company of Count H. H. Keyserling and Co., Limited
Тихо-Океанское Китобойное и Рыбопромышленное Акционерное Общество Графа Г. Г. Кейзерлинга и Ко.
Actiengesellschaft für Walfang und Fischerei im Stillen Ocean Graf H.H. Keyserling & Cie.
Other city spellings: St.-Pétersbourg, Petrograd, Pétrograde
Formed in 1899 with head office in St. Petersburg. Initial capital was 1,500,000 in shares of 250 roubles. The purpose of the company was to conduct whaling operations in the Sea of Japan.
1899
Description
The company was registered in 1899 by G. G. Keyserling (1866-1944), a representative of the noble Russian count and baronial family of Keyserling (in the old days Keselingk). The ancestors of Count Keyserling came from Westphalia and moved to Courland in the second half of the 15th century. After serving in the Navy, Heinrich Gugovich Keyserling decided to take up whaling. In order to study all the intricacies of whaling, Count Keyserling got a job as a simple sailor on a Norwegian whaling ship for a season, after which, in 1893, he founded the Pacific Whale Fishing of Count G. G. Keyserling and Co.
The count chose Gaydamak Bay in the Sea of Japan, located near the modern city of Nakhodka, as the base for his company. For a subsidy of 125 thousand rubles received in 1894 from the Ministry of Finance. two whaling ships were built for the company in Norway, and a steamship with a displacement of 3.5 thousand tons was purchased in England, later converted into a floating whaling base. By 1897, the Keyserling fleet consisted of nine vessels that were fishing all year round. The main product of whalers was blubber – liquid fat rendered from lard (it was used as fuel, for lighting and lubrication). Products were sold to Japan, England, as well as in the domestic market. The company’s final name was the Pacific Whaling and Fishing Joint Stock Company of Count G. G. Keyserling and Co (the Charter was approved by the Highest on April 9, 1899). The co-founder of the joint-stock company was the brother of G. G. Keyserling Alfred Gugovich.
In 1904, during the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, all the ships of Heinrich Keyserling’s flourishing flotilla were captured by the Japanese. Attempts to revive whale fishing were unsuccessful, and in 1912 the company was finally liquidated.
(source: Wikiwand)
