The Greenlandman 'Zaandam ' in the Whaling Grounds, by Joghem de Vries, 1772 .The Dutch had been hunting whales in the Arctic Ocean since the early 17th century. Oil that was extracted from the whale blubber, was used, among other things, as light fuel. Many Dutch whaling vessels sailed from Zaandam. The painter Joghem de Vries was also from Zaandam. It was there that he painted this picture of the 'Zaandam '. The ship, owned by the Zaan company of Claas Taan and Sons, was one of 38 Dutch whalers that sailed to the Davis Strait between Greenland and the North American coast in 1772. The 'Zaandam' returned with 240 barrels of blubber, taken from five whales. Altogether, the fleet killed 240 whales that year. De Vries painted other ships too. On the left is a vessel carrying the Danish flag. Two Eskimos are rowing in their kayak. And in the foreground, the men of the 'Zaandam ' have just harpooned a whale.