At one stage he went to work for some neighbouring farmers, living with them and receiving such unpleasant treatment, he resolved not to work in the profession his father wished him to pursue. He came to Whitby in the winter of 1779 and secured an apprenticeship on a ship called "Jane", owned by a Quaker, Mr Chapman. When the ship was laid off for the winter period, he returned to his fathers farm and studied for his new profession, paying particular attention to navigation.

When he returned to Whitby in the spring of the following year, he assisted in the re-fit of "Jane" and when, in early in April, she put to sea, she made good progress until encountering a storm at the Naze of Norway which nearly wrecked the ship. Scoresby embarked on a further two voyages for Mr Chapman before leaving to join the Government cutter "Speedwell", sailing with supplies for Gibraltar. Off the Cape of Trafalgar, the cutter was captured by the Spanish and the crew imprisoned.

Scoresby and another prisoner managed to escape, making their way to the coast and stowing away on an English ship, which had been exchanging prisoners of war. On his return to his native land Scoresby married Mary Smith, the daughter of a yeoman farmer. They had three children, Mary, Sarah and William.

In early 1785, Scoresby returned to sea on the Greenland whaler "Henrietta", under the command of Captain Crispin Bean and by his sixth voyage had risen to second officer, or "Specksioneer". This title is of Dutch origin and applied to the officer in charge of all the fishing apparatus, who was also the principal harpooner. In 1790, Captain Bean informed the ship's owners that he would soon be retiring and suggested that Scoresby be made his replacement.

He was duly appointed as the new Captain, despite protests from the crew. On the next voyage of the "Henrietta" Scoresby's first as captain, full scale mutiny was only narrowly averted. The next voyage Scoresby engaged upon, he insisted on picking his own crew. His careful choices paid dividends, for he returned to port having caught eighteen whales, by far biggest catch seen in Whitby. In the next six years from 1792 - 1797, the "Henrietta" caught eighty whales that produced 729 tons of oil.

The Government were in the habit of paying a bounty of twenty guineas per ton burden of ships engaged in whaling, provided they employed a steward/surgeon. Scoresby's innovation was to employ medical students from Edinburgh University solely as surgeons with officer status. Made famous by his success, Scoresby received many offers from other ships and, being discontented with his own ship owner, Mr Piper, who had withheld allowances given to other Captains, Scoresby accepted command of the "Dundee", a much larger ship. On his first voyage in the Dundee in 1798, he returned with thirty-six whales and maintained that success over the next five years.

In 1799 William Scoresby junior made his first voyage to sea aboard the "Dundee", it was to be an eventful trip. Just off the Yorkshire coastline, an enemy ship came bearing down on the whaler, which was heavily armed with twelve eighteen pounder guns. Scoresby senior concealed these guns and surprised his enemy as he came closer, revealing them at the last minute.

His enemy turned and retreated quickly without a shot being fired. In 1802, Scoresby senior was invited to join a partnership of eight people, to build a new Greenland whaler in Whitby. Each share cost £ 1000, two shares being owned by the builders, Fishburn and Broderick. Scoresby senior took up one share, and was paid wages on a par with those he had been earning on the "Dundee". The ship was launched on 21st February 1803 and was named the "Resolution". (not to be confused with the ship of the same name in which Cook sailed to the Antipodes).

She sailed a month later and in April caught her first whale. It was on this voyage that Scoresby junior, then aged just 14, was apprenticed. By the time he was 17 he had graduated to mate, and when he reached 21, the minimum age for a ships captain, he took charge of the "Resolution". In 1870 Scoresby senior invented what we now call "the crows nest". This was a look out on the main top mast, consisting of a framework four and a half feet high by two and a half feet in diameter, protected by leather or canvas.

Entry was by a trap door in the bottom, with provision for storage of a telescope, flags, speaking trumpet and a firearm. Back in 1776, the British Government had offered a reward of £10,000 to anyone who could penetrate north of 89 degrees, East or West of the Berring Straits. Whilst Scoresby senior was unable to gain this prize, he did reach beyond 81 degrees in 1806, breaking through the ice at Spitzbergen.

In 1810 he joined three businessmen to form the "Greenock Whale and Fishing Company" of which he was appointed manager. He stayed just four years before retiring, remaining ashore until 1815, when he purchased the ship "Mars" which he commanded for two whaling seasons. Another year of retirement followed before he bought a teak built ship called "Fame". The fitting out of the ship was delayed due to the possibility that the Government might want to use her, but this eventuality did not materialise.

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