On February 18, 1821, 89 days after the Essex went down, a British vessel sighted Chase, Nickerson, and Lawrence and rescued them. Five days later on February 23, 1821, Ramsdell and Pollard were rescued by a Nantucket whaleship named Dauphin. On March 17, 1821, Ramsdell and Pollard reunited with Nickerson, Chase, and Lawrence.
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Articles
Read articles reflecting on the Essex disaster and its legacy into the 21st century. More Read more from Articles
Historic Nantucket
Topics surrounding the story of the Essex have inspired a wide variety of articles written by renowned historians and authors, featured in the NHA's Historic Nantucket publication. More Read more from Historic Nantucket
Videos
View recordings of presentations and lectures discussing the story of the Essex tragedy. More Read more from Videos
Exhibitions
The Essex and its legacy has been a recurring theme in exhibitions at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. View the most recent exhibitions that have explored aspects of this dramatic story. More Read more from Exhibitions
Melville and Moby Dick
The story of the Essex tragedy greatly influenced Herman Melville as he wrote Moby-Dick. Explore additional materials in the NHA collections on Melville, Nantucket, and Moby-Dick. More Read more from Melville and Moby Dick
Mariners Lost at Sea Database
NHA research has identified over 1,100 seafarers lost aboard Nantucket vessels between 1724 and 1896. This database lists those brave mariners and what we know about them. More Read more from Mariners Lost at Sea Database
Search the Collection
The NHA holds a number of artifacts and manuscripts related to the whaleship Essex, her owners and crew, and the story of her demise. More Read more from Search the Collection
What happened to the Essex?
On November 20, 1820, the Essex was struck by a whale in the middle of the Pacific and sank almost immediately, stranding her crew in small boats thousands of miles from land .
What was the plight of the Essex?
The plight of the men of the Essex, shipless on the vast sea, was more than desperate. Disaster could scarcely have struck them in an area of the Pacific more devoid of islands or more bereft of maritime traffic: 0°40′ south latitude, 119° west longitude, according to Chase’s reckoning. To the east the nearest certain landfall was the coast of Peru, 2,400 miles away, but even that was out of reach, for the ocean current runs westward along the equator, and the winds there blow scarcely at all. A voyage southeast would have been worse. Below the equator the southeast trade winds would be blowing directly against the little square sail that was part of a whaleboat’s standard equipment. Due south there was nothing but a few distant speckles of land and nothing beyond them but Antarctica. One direction only seemed promising.
What ship sailed from Nantucket to Japan?
And then there was the whaleship Essex, which embarked from Nantucket on August 12, 1819, and sailed into the most harrowing nightmare in the disaster-rich annals of whaling.
What was the name of the whale that smashed a whaleboat to smithereens?
Hunting the mighty sperm whale, whose twenty-foot flukes could smash a whaleboat to smithereens, was too dangerous and exacting for anything less. There was no poltroonery aboard the Essex, only relative degrees of valor. The Essex was a typical whaling ship out of Nantucket.
How long did the Essex sail?
The ship was a tubby, 238-ton three-master, provisioned for a two-and-a-half year cruise, which meant quite literally that it could sail for two-and-a-half years without putting into port.
Why did the Essex put the Galápagos Islands in the Galápagos Islands?
Beagle ) in order to repair a leak and stock up on the island’s huge turtles before plunging westward along the equator to the new whaling grounds.
What was the quarry of the Nantucket whale?
Reaching the grounds usually meant rounding Cape Horn, but Nantucketers had been doubling the dreaded Cape since 1792. Their quarry was the sperm whale, whose peerless oil lit the ballrooms of Europe. Of the thirty vessels leaving Nantucket in 1819, fifteen were bound for the new grounds.
Who was the captain of the Essex?
Captain George Pollard Jr. and first mate Owen Chase had served together on the ship's previous trip, which had been highly successful and led to their promotions. In 1819, at the age of 29, Pollard was one of the youngest men ever to command a whaling ship; Chase was 23, and the youngest member of the crew was the cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson, who was 14. The crew of 21 was mainly white but there were a small group of free black men. The two groups slept apart.
How many men were on the Essex?
The crew numbered 21 men in total. Among the sailors, there were seven African American men: William Bond, Samuel Reed, Richard Peterson, Henry DeWitt, Lawson Thomas, Charles Shorter and Isaiah Sheppard; four island natives: Seth Weeks, Joseph West, William Wright, and Isaac Cole; one Englishman named Thomas Chapple, and the rest of the crew: the ship's captain George Pollard, First Mate Owen Chase, Second Mate Matthew Joy, Obed Hendricks, cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, Barzillai Ray, Charles Ramsdell, Benjamin Lawrence and Owen Coffin were from Nantucket.
What happened to the Essex whaler?
In 1820, while at sea in the southern Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr., she was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale. Thousands of miles from the coast of South America with little food and water, the 20-man crew was forced to make for land in the ship's surviving whaleboats .
What happened to the Charles Island fire?
It was the height of the dry season, and the fire quickly burned out of control, surrounding the hunters and forcing them to run through the flames to escape. By the time the men returned to Essex, almost the entire island was burning. The crew was upset about the fire , and Captain Pollard swore vengeance on whoever had set it. The next day, the island was still burning as the ship sailed for the offshore grounds. After a full day of sailing, the fire was still visible on the horizon. Fearing a certain whipping, Chapple only later admitted that he had set the fire.
How big was the Essex whaleboat?
The two groups slept apart. Essex had recently been totally refitted, but at only 88 feet (27 m) in length , and measuring about 239 tons burthen, she was small for a whaleship. Essex was equipped with four whaleboats, each about 28 ft (8.5 m) in length, and she had an additional whaleboat below decks.
What island did Essex sail to?
Repairs and resupply at Galápagos. To restock their food supplies for the long journey, Essex sailed for Charles Island (later renamed Floreana Island) in the Galápagos Islands. The crew needed to fix a serious leak and initially anchored off Hood Island (now known as Española Island) on October 8, 1820.
How many feet did the Essex sail?
Four whaleboats, 20–30 feet (6.1–9.1 m), plus one spare. Final Voyage of the Essex. Voyage dates. Essex departed Nantucket August 12, 1819; sunk by a whale in the Pacific Ocean November 20, 1820.
Who made the twine on the Essex?
Piece of twine on display in the Overlook Gallery. This small length of twine was made by twenty-one-year-old boatsteerer Benjamin Lawrence (1799-1879). It is the sole surviving artifact from the wreck of the Essex.
What happened in November 1820?
In November 1820, an enraged sperm whale rammed and sank the Nantucket whaleship Essexin 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. They had limited food and water, and could only hope that their supplies would last them as they slowly sailed for land across miles of open water.
What happened to the Essex?
Just two days after the Essex started her voyage , she had to face a sudden squall that terrified the inexperienced crew onboard. The ship started to creak and nearly sank. The “topgallant” sail of the Essex was lost, and two of the whaleboats on the ship were destroyed. Another whaleboat was also damaged.
How many crew members were on the Essex?
On August 12, 1819, the Essex set out on the sea from Nantucket in Massachusetts for a voyage to the west coast of South America. There were 21 crew members onboard the ship, under George Pollard Jr. as captain. The sailors of the ship included 7 African American men, 4 island natives and 9 other assorted crewmembers.
What happened to Chase's whaleboat?
During the hunt a whale calf smashed into Chase’s whaleboat, and it forced him to return to the Essex . While Chase was engaged in repairing the whaleboat that was damaged, the crew onboard the Essex spotted a huge sperm whale nearby. It was about 85 feet long and was estimated to weigh nearly 80 tons and was acting in a strange manner.
Why did the Essex sink?
One of the prominent stories among them was that of the Essex, a whaleship operating in the early 19th century. The Essex actually sank due to a whale attack, providing inspiration for Melville to write his book some 20 years later.
How far out did the Essex attack?
But the attack had stranded them far out in the Pacific Ocean, about 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) west of South America.
When did the Essex see sperm whales?
Back in open water, the crew of the Essex next spotted a sperm whale in November 1820 . Captain Pollard gave an order to launch three whaling boats, which managed to successfully corral a number of whales.
Where did the Essex find the spring?
However, due to incorrect calculations, they thought that they had reached Ducie island, more than 200 km (124 miles) to their east. On the Henderson island, the crew of the Essex spotted a spring that provided brackish water.
What happened to the ship Essex?
The Loss of the Ship " Essex" Sunk by a Whale and the Ordeal of the Crew in Open Boats. Final Voyage of the Essex. Voyage dates. Essex departed Nantucket August 12, 1819; sunk by a whale in the Pacific Ocean November 20, 1820.
When was the loss of the ship Essex published?
In 1876 he wrote The Loss of the Ship "Essex," an account of the ordeal and of his subsequent experiences at sea. The manuscript was lost until 1960, and was first published in 1984. Sketch of Essex being struck by a whale on 20 November 1820; Sketched later in life by Thomas Nickerson.
What ship did Nickerson sail on?
In 1819, when he was fourteen years old, Nickerson served as cabin boy on the whaleship Essex. On this voyage, the ship was sunk by a whale it was pursuing, and the crew spent three months at sea before the survivors were rescued. In 1876 he wrote The Loss of the Ship "Essex," an account of the ordeal and of his subsequent experiences at sea.
How many pages did Nickerson send to Lewis?
Nickerson did this, and in 1876, he sent an 80-page manuscript, as well as accounts of other adventures he had later in life, to Lewis for editing. Lewis, however, was having a personal crisis and the manuscript was abandoned.
Who played Thomas Nickerson in Heart of the Sea?
In 2015, the theatrical film In the Heart of the Sea was released, directed by Ron Howard. The older Thomas Nickerson is portrayed by Brendan Gleeson and the young Nickerson is played by Tom Holland.
Who authenticated the book of the Nantucket whaling?
It took another twenty years before it was authenticated by Edouard A. Stackpole, a Nantucket whaling historian. The Finches donated the manuscript to the Association, who published an abridged version in 1984, a century after Nickerson's death.
Who was the president of the Santa Fe Railroad?
Thomas Nickerson. For the president of the Santa Fe Railroad, see Thomas Nickerson (ATSF). Thomas Gibson Nickerson (March 20, 1805 – February 7, 1883) was an American sailor and author. In 1819, when he was fourteen years old, Nickerson served as cabin boy on the whaleship Essex.
