The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale

In 1820, the Nantucket whale ship Essex was sailing in the South Pacific when it was rammed by an angry sperm whale.

The ship sank, leaving twenty crew members floating in three small boats for ninety days. By taking drastic measures, eight men survived to reveal their astonishing tale.

This authoritative edition brings together the harrowing tales of the survivors, including Owen Chase’s ‘Narrative of the Wreck of Whale ship Essex’ and an account by Thomas Nickerson, the 15-year old cabin boy who was steering the ship when the whale attacked.

[Thomas Nickerson and Owen Chase were two of the eight surviving crew members of the ship Essex].