The Haunting Tale of the Whaleship Essex

If you’re looking for a riveting spring or summer break page turner that’s a delightful combination of adventure, survival, and New England history, then look no further than Daniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea, the lesser-known tale of the doomed whaleship Essex, the inspiration for Melville’s classic Moby Dick. 

I learned of this compelling true story after visiting the charming museum at Mystic Seaport, where I boarded and toured the Charles Morgan, the last surviving wooden whaleship from the 1800’s. Perusing the book selections in the gift shop, I stumbled on this remarkable tale. While most of us are familiar with the maritime disasters of Titanic, the Edmund Fitzgerald, and the Andrea Gail — the subject of The Perfect Storm — 'few are familiar with the haunting story of the Essex, a Nantucket whaleship that was rammed by an angry whale in 1820, its crewmembers embarking on a harrowing three-month journey of survival.   

Philbrick sets the stage with a fascinating account of life among the Quakers on Nantucket Island, providing rich detail and texture of their lives, hopes, and dreams.  He illustrates the paradox of the peace loving Quakers and their “war” on whales, which provided valuable oil and made the Quakers quite wealthy, in spite of a national recession.  The whale ships of Nantucket would often sail for 2-3 years at a time, leaving wives to regularly dabble in opium – which is plentiful on the island - and to walk on “widow’s walks” while patiently awaiting ships that may never return. With maritime casualities a fact of life, a high percentage of the children of Nantucket Island are fatherless. It's not uncommon for a sailor to take his first journey on a whaleship at age 14, as was the case of cabin boy Tom Nickerson, whom we follow throughout the journey. 

As I devoured page by page of this incredible story, I was struck by the arrogance of Captain George Pollard and first mate Owen Chase. The leaders of this ill-fated journey made several critical mistakes along the way, including nearly capsizing Essex within miles of Nantucket Harbor. We learn of the poaching and killing of scores of Galapagos tortoises, many a century old. A crewmember’s senseless prank leads to the total destruction of one of the Galapagos Islands, as fire consumes all signs of life. 

As the Nantucket whalemen continued to pillage and plunder around the Horn and across the Pacific, the reader is inclined to cheer on the enormous sperm whale that ultimately spells the Essex’s demise, sinking the mighty whaleship in the middle of nowhere. The 75-foot monster not only rams the whale ship once, but TWICE for good measure.  The author offers several theories as to what might have motivated the bull. Was it revenge — a higher level of intelligence that caused it to recognize a threat to its own? Or was it the rapping of a hammer repairing an open whaleboat that confused the gentle giant into viewing the ship as the enemy? 

Survivors of the Essex — divided into three boats that eventually separate —foolishly elect to set sail for South America rather than risk landing on much closer islands to the southwest, where they feared they might encounter cannibals. This becomes the ultimate irony, as it’s cannibalism (and murder) that play a role in their survival, as their situation becomes increasingly desperate. 

This powerful story is rich with maps and historical photos that make it as educational as it is entertaining. Warning: once you begin In the Heart of the Sea, you may find it difficult to put down. Do not embark on this journey unless you’re prepared for some sleepless nights.