On August 12, 1819 the whaling ship Essex set sail from Nantucket, the whaling capital of America. The voyage was supposed to last more than two years. On board were 21 men and a rookie captain named George Pollard, Jr. Two days into the voyage, a squall wrecked one of the masts and nearly sank the ship. First mate Chase convinced Pollard to proceed and they eventually rounded Cape Horn to enter the Pacific. The whales were scarce so the decision was made to proceed deep into the ocean, away from South America. They stopped at Charles Island in the Galapagos Islands. A prankster set a fire that ravaged the island and caused the men to sprint to the boats. It is believed the incident caused the extinction of the Floreana Tortoise and Floreana Mockingbird. On Nov. 20, 1819, Pollard was off hunting whales when Chase noticed a huge whale near the ship. Suddenly the 85-foot sperm whale attacked and rammed the ship (87 feet long) leaving a hole. The whale disappeared but soon after returned even more enraged and rammed the bow of the ship causing it to begin to sink. It is theorized that the ship repairs that had been going on caused banging noises similar to the clicking noises sperm whales communicated with. Perhaps the whale thought the ship was another male encroaching on his territory. When Pollard returned, the ship’s crew was loaded into three whaleboats commanded by Pollard, Chase, and a mate named Joy. They had about two months supplies. Pollard wanted to sail to some islands that were far, but with the wind. Chase, in a case of extreme irony, argued that those islands were inhabited by cannibals. He convinced everyone they should sail a much longer distance, against the wind, to Peru. It was a difficult trip as the bread got soaked by seawater, there was a lack of water, and the sun was brutal. And the boats were sometimes attacked by killer whales! They reached a deserted island, but there was little food. Three of the men decided to stay, but the rest moved on. The boats became separated and Joy’s boat was never seen again. On Pollard’s boat, the first man died from delirium. His organs were roasted on a flat rock and eaten. Later, it was decided to draw lots for who would be killed and eaten. Pollard’s young cousin was chosen and although Pollard offered to take his place, he insisted a deal was a deal. He was shot in the head and eaten. On Feb. 18, 1820, after 89 days, Chase’s boat was rescued by a British ship. About a week later, Pollard and Charles Ramsdell were discovered by an American ship. It was the two of them and a boat bottom covered with human bones. The three men on Henderson Island were discovered four months into their stay. They had survived on shellfish and bird’s eggs. The cannibalism was forgiven (except for Pollard, who had eaten his cousin) because it was fairly common for shipwrecked sailors. Although usually the human flesh was used to catch fish. Herman Melville was obsessed with the story and in 1851 published “Moby Dick”.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-life-horror-that-inspired-moby-dick-17576/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Essex-whaling-ship
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