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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.
As first mate of Essex, 21-year-old Owen Chase left Nantucket on August 12, 1819, on a two-and-a-half-year whaling voyage. On the morning of November 20, 1820, a sperm whale (said to be around 85 feet; 26 m) twice rammed Essex, sinking her 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) west of South America.
On Nov. 20, 1820, a whaling ship from Nantucket, Mass., was attacked by a large sperm whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. According to the Nantucket Historical Association, the boat was ...
Nickerson relates that a ship was sent to Henderson Island to rescue the men there; three were still alive. Chase continued sailing and became a merchant captain. Pollard led another expedition to find and kill the white whale, but never found it. His ship ran aground off the Hawaiian Islands and he was forced to retire.
For 50 years the Descendants of Whaling Masters has preserved the history and tradition of the whaling era. Here's some stories from local descendants.
The Essex, an American whaleship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, sank after a sperm whale attacked it in the Pacific Ocean in November 1820. Having lost their ship, the crew of the Essex attempted to sail to South America in whaleboats. After suffering from starvation and dehydration, most of the crew died before the survivors were rescued in ...
Its wreck has yet to be found. This is a list of missing ships and wrecks. If it is known that the ship in question sank, then its wreck has not yet been located. Ships are usually declared lost and assumed wrecked after a period of disappearance. The disappearance of a ship usually implies all hands lost.
Meanwhile, Pollard and Joy were hunting smaller whales near the ship, and on their return found Essex had capsized. [27] The crew chopped off the masts, a necessary move that would enable the ship to stay upright for a longer time, [28] and outfitted the whaleboats with sails and masts using Essex's spars and sails. [29]