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November 20, 1820
- On November 20, 1820, an enraged sperm whale rammed and sank the Nantucket whaleship Essex in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles from the nearest land.
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Mar 15, 2024 · 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 .
On November 20, 1820, an enraged sperm whale rammed and sank the Nantucket whaleship Essex in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles from the nearest land. Twenty sailors survived the attack and quickly outfitted their three small whaleboats to make a journey to safety.
And on his last day on Nantucket he met the broken-down 60-year-old man who had captained the Essex, the ship that had been attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in an 1820 incident that had...
The Essex’s great adventure began fifteen months out of its home port. The ship, which had left Nantucket August 12, 1819, and had enjoyed rather typical success in its hunt for whales, arrived by November 20, 1820, at a point a fewminutes south ofthe equator, 119 degrees wast longitude. At eight o’clock that morning whales were sighted and ...
Sep 12, 2023 · All of a sudden, the whale began speeding toward the Essex, ramming the left, or port, side of the bow. Sperm whales have a large, bulbous head, and the specimen was estimated to have weighed approximately 80 tons. It swam under the boat, paused, then returned and struck the ship again before disappearing.
Dec 8, 2021 · This terrifying wreck, and its cannibalistic aftermath, inspired Moby Dick. By Carolyn Cox | Published Dec 8, 2021. 'Sinking of the Nantucket Whaleship Essex by a Whale on 20 November 1820' by Cyprien Gaulon, c. 1821. Photo Credit: Nantucket Historical Association.
In 1820 a massive sperm whale rammed a Nantucket whaling ship, sending it to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Stranded 1,500 miles from land, the surviving crew’s horrific quest for survival...