Baker Street Elementary – A Whale of a Tale

by I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere October 26, 2025

“in command of a whaler” [BLAC] 

Captain Peter Carey ("Black Peter") met an end that was consistent with his way of life. Found pinned to his wall by a harpoon through his chest, he was finished off by... well, we'll avoid spoilers here. 

But there's an interesting bit of autobiographical information that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gives away in his description of Carey:

He was a most daring and successful seal and whale fisher. In 1883 he commanded the steam sealer Sea Unicorn, of Dundee. He had then had several successful voyages in succession, and in the following year, 1884, he retired.

Sea Unicorn is a unique and memorable name for a ship. Do you know what creature is called a "sea unicorn"? If you guessed the narwhal, you're right. The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a type of toothed whale that is native to the Arctic.

In 1880, Conan Doyle took a voyage on the Hope, an arctic whaler, and kept a diary of his experiences on board. His diary was reproduced in the marvelous book Dangerous Work, edited by Jon Lellenberg and Dan Stashower. Is it possible that Conan Doyle came across a sea unicorn in his arctic whaling adventures?

As we see from the entry on Sunday, June 6th, Conan Doyle provided two illustrations: "Towing home the Narwhal" and "The Narwhal itself."

If you're interested in hearing more about Conan Doyle's arctic adventures, Episode 48 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere features an interview with Jon Lellenberg and Dan Stashower:

 And a discussion of harpoons awaits in Episode 28 of Trifles:

Similarly inspired, the boys at Baker Street Elementary are cooking up a whale of a tale...

Baker Street Elementary follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at the Baker Street Elementary website.