> I mean, the consequences should have been obvious to anyone.

Only on HN could some become an expert on how to blow up whales after watching one video.

1927 - STRANDED WHALE - DISPOSING OF THE CARCASS - DYNAMITE RESORTED TO https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/93580808

Perhaps the assumption was that many small pieces would be easier to clean up than one big piece. And that the very small pieces would be removed by other animals, or the weather.

Apparently they vastly overestimated how much explosive to use, resulting in the now infamous consequences.

According to the article:

"The decision to blow up the whale came from the Oregon Department of Transportation and George Thornton. According to Linnman, Thornton had consulted with the United State Navy, which had done things like this in the past. The general consensus from all involved after the explosion was that not enough dynamite was used."

The original call must have been an interesting conversation.

Credit must be due just for getting through switchboard to someone who could give a professional opinion.

> overestimated

Don't you mean underestimated?

>Apparently they vastly overestimated how much explosive to use,

I disagree. Had they over-estimated there would have simply been pink mist and a bad smell.

Blowing them up with dynamite was a common response in those days. Experts believe that they didn't use enough, and didn't place the charge properly.

My guess is that no one had a solution, so the problem fell through to the first person with an idea.

In the video, the engineer says that they expect the whale to be vaporized

The whale carcass was beginning to rot, which meant a massive stink. So they decided to blast it into pieces that could be eaten by seagulls... only that this plan failed and the chunks were too big.

8 tons of whale mince is going to need a hell of a lot of seagull. Just poking a hole or three in it to let the gasses out then hauling it into the sea seems an option ( but IANA whale carcass disposal expert)

> hell of a lot of seagull.

I can assure you there are sufficient seagulls on the Oregon coast.

Don't ask me :D I just took the info from the article.

On the other side, given I'm half Croatian, seagulls and other meat-eating birds will absolutely devour that meat in no time - they will lead other flocks of birds to the food source.

If it wasn't a crowded/ popular-ish beach (not LA crowded, Oregon Coast crowded), it would have likely been fine. The big problem was the fact that they have a bunch of spectators who were parked within the blast range.

I think the idea was that they'd blast it into tiny pieces that crabs and birds could easily dispose of. Obviously it didn't work out that way.

did they place the charge directly underneath rather than in such a way that it would blow the wreckage directionally out to sea?

The video contains an answer to that particular question!