How quickly could a floating factory ship process a 100-ton blue whale?

Floating factory ships were designed to maximize the efficiency of whaling operations by allowing for the processing of carcasses at sea. By utilizing specialized equipment, such as compact butchering machinery and "tween-decks" Hartmann high-pressure cookers, these vessels could dispose of a 100-ton blue whale in approximately one hour.1

This rapid processing was essential to prevent putrefaction and to improve the yield of premium oil. The development of the stern slipway in 1925 was a critical innovation that enabled these ships to haul such massive animals directly onto an open butchering deck, or "plan," for immediate dismemberment.1