Whales are killed as quickly as possible. There is a sizeable bomb explodes 9 seconds after the harpoon gun is fired. The gunners assistant immediately loads a killer shot, a wooden shaft with a bomb head, just in case the first one isn't fatal. It is not often used or needed. They don't want to be fighting with thirty or forty ton of active whale. I've been there to see it happen. I've also never seen a harpoon end up in the gut of a whale. It usually is along the spine with fast fatal effect.
