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Essex, American whaling ship that was rammed by a sperm whale on November 20, 1820, and later sank. Although all 20 crewmen initially survived, only 8 were rescued following an arduous journey that devolved into cannibalism. The sinking inspired the climactic scene in Herman Melville ’s Moby Dick (1851).
Essex was an American whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, which was launched in 1799. On November 20, 1820, while at sea in the southern Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr., the ship was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale.
Nov 2, 2020 · Updated February 27, 2024. After the whaleship "Essex" was sunk by a vengeful sperm whale, its crew was left on the high seas for 90 days — causing them to resort to cannibalism. Camden Public Library The Essex, the ship Moby-Dick is based on, was sunk by a vengeful whale. In 1820, a whale rammed into an American whale-hunting ship in the ...
Dec 8, 2021 · The Essex was not the first or last ship to be sunk by a whale; in fact, encounters of this kind have occurred as recently as 1999. But it was the most deadly sinking-by-whale, and had the most significant cultural impact.
Why? Because whales just did not do that kind of thing. Were it not forthe Essex, a ship sunk by a whale would have come across as a facetious seaman’s yam. Whales stove boats all the time, but ships? Never.
Mar 1, 2013 · HISTORY. The True-Life Horror That Inspired ‘Moby-Dick’. The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that’s only the beginning. Gilbert King. March 1, 2013. An illustration of Moby Dick...
Feb 9, 2010 · 1820. American vessel sunk by sperm whale. The American whaler Essex, which hailed from Nantucket, Massachusetts, is attacked by an 80-ton sperm whale 2,000 miles from the western coast of South...
