2 A Whale of a Tale

Nineteenth-century whalers hunted whales for their oil, bones, and meat. Hunting huge whales in small, unprotected boats was a risky way to make a living.

On August 12, 1819, a whalingship called the Essex sailed from New England. On board were 20 men. They were whalers, men who killed whales for their valuable oil. The men planned to be at sea for two and a half years. In the first 15 months, things went smoothly. The whalers found and killed 25 whales. But on November 20, 1820, everything changed. On that day, a whale fought back. Suddenly, the hunters became the hunted.

The crew of the Essex was used to working in dangerous conditions. After all, they could not do their job from the deck of the main ship. If they could have, the job would have been a lot easier. The Essex was a sturdy 238 tons. Instead, the men had to get right next to the whales. They needed to get close enough to plunge their harpoons into the creatures' sides. So they had to leave the Essex and do their hunting in small whaleboats. These boats were just 28 feet long and 6 feet wide. They didn't weigh much, either. They were made from planks of wood that were less than half an inch thick.

In these small boats, the men went after giant sperm whales.An adult sperm whale might measure well over 80 feet—almost the length of the Essex itself. Its tail could be 20 feet wide. If a whale's tail ever hit one of the fragile whaleboats, it would smash it to bits. So the men had to maneuver their boats with great care. On November 20, the Essex was far out in the Pacific Ocean. In the early morning the men spotted whales. Two men stayed on the Essex while the others climbed into three whaleboats. Each boat carried six men. George Pollard, the captain, commanded one boat. Owen Chase, the first mate, sailed in the second boat. Matthew Joy, the second mate, led the third boat.

The whalers rowed far from the Essex. They drew closer and closer to the group of sperm whales. Finally, Chase's crew drew alongside one. Chase stood at the bow and plunged his harpoon into the whale. The whale flipped its tail, grazing the boat. The blow was enough to punch a hole in the side of the light boat.

Chase knew his men could not continue with the hunt. The other two whaleboats would have to go on alone. Chase cut the line to his harpoon. Then he stuffed the crew's jackets into the gaping hole in the boat. Chase told one man to bail out the water. He ordered the others to row back to the Essex as fast as they could.

When they returned to the Essex, Chase began to repair the whaleboat with a piece of canvas. Suddenly, he saw a sperm whale. It was huge. Chase guessed that it was 85 feet long. The creature was just 100 yards away. Yet Chase was not worried. Whales are not vicious. In fact, most of the time they are rather playful.

There was nothing playful about this whale, however. It spouted two or three times then disappeared below the surface. When it came up again, it was only 30 yards away. The whale was moving straight at the Essex. Chase couldn't believe his eyes. He ordered one of his men to steer the Essex out of the way. But it was too late. The giant whale rammed into the ship with its massive 20-foot head. The blow knocked the men to their knees. They all looked at each other in amazement. No one spoke. No one knew what to say. They had never heard of a whale attacking a ship before. And this whale wasn't finished. After hitting the ship, the whale swam under it. Moments later, it came up on the other side. It appeared dazed . It thrashed about, opening and snapping its huge jaws. Then one of the men shouted, “Here he is—he is making for us again.”

It didn't seem possible. But the whale was attacking the Essex a second time. It charged at the ship with twice the speed of the first attack. It lifted its blunt head half out of the water. Foamy waves kicked up on both sides as the whale gained speed and fury .

This time the whale hit the ship with such force that it crushed the bow. Chase knew the Essex was doomed . He told his men to jump into a whaleboat. In a few moments, they rowed safely away. The men watched silently as the ship tipped over on its side.

For the whale, the story ends there. The creature was never seen again. But for the men of the Essex, the story was just beginning. When the two other whaleboats returned from the hunt, the men were stunned to find the Essex lying on its side. The whalers got back on the ship for a brief time. They grabbed some sails. They also rescued some biscuits, water, a few guns, tools, and nails.

But the men faced a grim future. They were stuck in three tiny boats in the middle of the ocean. The nearest land was thousands of miles away. It didn't seem likely that they would reach land before they ran out of food and water.

That first day, no one ate. The men had no appetite. Some of them cried. Only a few were able to sleep that night. Most just stared at the black water, wondering what would become of them.

Days passed. Sometimes the wind blew the boats along at a good pace . Other times, there was no breeze at all. Then the boats just bobbed up and down in the water. The hot sun beat down without mercy. It was tough on the men. Some began to lose their will to live. Then, on December 20, one of the men stood up and shouted,“There is land!”

By a stroke of pure luck , the three boats had drifted toward a tiny island. The island wasn't on any map. Today it is known as Henderson's Island.

When the men saw the land, their hopes surged . They were saved! But they weren't. The island had fresh water, but almost no food. There wasn't nearly enough to keep 20 men alive. So, after a week, Pollard told the men they would be better off getting back into the whaleboats. Three men refused. They vowed to take their chances staying on the island.

These three men were lucky. They were later rescued. But the 17 who sailed off were not so fortunate . They drifted for nearly two more months. Some of the men died of hunger. To survive, the others ate the flesh of those who died.

In time, the wind blew the three boats far away from each other. One was never seen again. On February 17, 1821, a passing ship spotted one of the whaleboats. It contained Chase and two other men. Six days later, a different ship rescued Pollard and one other from the third whaleboat. These survivors had been in their tiny boats for three months and had sailed 3,000 miles.

In all, only eight members of the crew survived. Twelve died at sea. The sad story of the Essex did have one bright spot, however. It inspired one of the great novels of all time. After learning about the whale's bizarre attack, author Herman Melville wrote a similar story in his classic book, Moby Dick.