History's A Disaster
Bloody history and bloodier crimes. Andrew takes a weekly look at all things bloody. From natural disasters to man made atrocities
History's A Disaster
The Sinking of the Essex Part 2: Thar She Blows
The infamous true story that inspired Moby Dick unfolds in horrifying detail as we follow the crew of the Essex after their ship is deliberately rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale in November 1820. Twenty men, now stranded in three tiny whaleboats in the vast Pacific Ocean, face a harrowing fight for survival that will push them beyond human endurance.
With their vessel destroyed in just ten minutes, the crew salvages what little they can—600 pounds of hardtack, limited water, and navigation equipment—before making a fateful decision that will seal their fate. Despite closer islands to the west, fear of cannibalism and cultural prejudices lead them to attempt an impossible 3,000-mile journey to South America instead of the much closer Tahiti. It's a choice born of misinformation that transforms their ordeal from difficult to catastrophic.
What follows is a nauseating descent into the depths of human suffering. The men subsist on mere ounces of hardtack and thimblefuls of water daily while enduring relentless sun, salt spray that opens wounds on their skin, and the psychological torment of isolation. Their bodies begin to consume themselves—first fat, then muscle—leaving them as living skeletons adrift in an ocean so barren it would later be named the Desolate Region.
The physical horrors of extreme dehydration are described in excruciating detail: thickened saliva, swollen tongues, hallucinations, and eventually tears of blood as their bodies mummify while still alive. When one crewman spots land on the horizon, we're left wondering whether salvation awaits—or if something far darker lies ahead in the next installment of this maritime nightmare.
Subscribe now to hear the conclusion of this extraordinary tale of survival, where human endurance is tested against the most extreme conditions imaginable. Leave a rating or review and share with friends who appreciate history's darkest chapters brought vividly to life.
Facebook: historyisadisaster
Instagram: historysadisaster
email: historysadisaster@gmail.com
Special thank you to Lunarfall Audio for producing and doing all the heavy lifting on audio editing since April 13, 2025, the Murder of Christopher Meyer episode https://lunarfallaudio.com/
Last week our merry band of whalemen survived a major setback as their ship was nearly capsized in a storm. Now they've made it around Cape Horn and have set out for the Galapagos Islands for a bit of turtle hunting and some fun in the sun, before hitting the offshore grounds, not knowing that disaster lurks just around the corner. So what happened? I'm Andrew and this is History's A Disaster. Welcome back to part two of the Essex Tragedy. Want to make one little correction? Part 2 of the Essex Tragedy Want to make one little correction. This series is based largely on Nathaniel Philbrick's book In the Heart of the Sea, I believe last week I called it just Heart of the Sea. This book was based largely on a manuscript written by cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, a manuscript that was written over 50 years after the accident and subsequently lost until 1960, where it would go unauthenticated until 1980, before finally being first published in 1984. And with that let's get into it.
Speaker 1:The Essex, on its way to the Galapagos Islands, made a stop at a tiny village in Ecuador called Atames. While there, they picked up some fresh fruits and vegetables and even did a little hunting, which, with the lack of a hunting dog, led them to using young Thomas as one to flush out some prey, which was cut short when they got scared off by a terrifying sound in the jungle, a sound Thomas would discover years later came from a very tiny bird. And to make things worse, during the stop Henry DeWitt, one of the sailors, deserted the ship and refused to go on. Can't say I blame him. Atamas was often described as a Garden of Eden by sailors, and I would take that over. Being cramped in a tiny-ass ship any day. With the loss of the wit, the Essex would now be shorthanded and would leave the ship with only two people on board when the whale boats went out, which would not be good if the ship were to run into trouble.
Speaker 1:After leaving Atamas, they made the six-day voyage to the Galapagos. On the way they managed to get two more whales, which would help to shorten their voyage. With any luck they would not have to stay out more than a year and a half to fill the hold with oil. However, luck was not with them on this little trip. The Essex sprung a leak. They had to take shelter in a small bay on Hood Island in the Galapagos and work on repairs. And while the ship was being repaired, the men went turtle hunting. In total, they would catch 180 turtles to bring with them on the voyage. After the repairs were finally made, they made their way to Charles Island, where they caught another 100 turtles, one of which weighed over 600 pounds and required six men to carry back.
Speaker 1:During the hunt, one of the boat steerers, thomas Chappell, decided to play a little prank. He set fire to some bushes and since we're near the equator, in an area that sees little to no rain, and it was during a dry season, the island was just a tiny bit more flammable than usual. The fire roared around the island, trapping the hunting crew. In the interior, they were forced to have to run through the flames to get to safety. The interior, they were forced to have to run through the flames to get to safety. While none of the crew was injured, captain Pollard was pissed. The island would burn for days and remain a scorched wasteland for many years. The fire killed thousands of birds, lizards, turtles and snakes. It was a major ecological disaster. It was a major ecological disaster.
Speaker 1:By November 16th, the Essex had sailed a thousand miles west of the Galapagos. They were deep in the largest ocean on the planet, an area the Nantucket Whalemen knew well. They'd been traveling and whaling here for over 30 years. However, whale sightings were few and far between. Efforts to catch any proved useless and during one encounter, when Chase's boat was out and waiting for a whale to surface, they were once again hit by a whale, leaving the crew to cling to the damaged whale boat. While they waited for rescue, lacking extra boats, they worked desperately to get it repaired. It would be four days later, on the 20th, another whale was spotted early in the morning. It was bright and sunny, the perfect weather for hunting. The Essex got to within a half mile of the sighting before lowering the whale boats and turning to back away from the area.
Speaker 1:Once again, chase's crew led the chase for the whale and once again they ran into trouble. They got too close to the whale and when it was hit with the harpoon it flicked its tail and hit the tiny whale boat, smashing its side and ripping a hole in it. Tail and hit the tiny whale boat, smashing its side and ripping a hole in it. One man would have to constantly bail out water as they rode back to the Essex, anxious to get on with the hunt. Chase did a quick repair job on the hole with some canvas so they could get back into it. Pollard and Joy had already both caught whales and were starting the return trips.
Speaker 1:While the repair was being made, the largest whale they had ever seen was spotted just off the port side of the boat. It was acting strangely, just floating on the surface staring at them. It eventually dove down, then resurfaced 35 yards from the Essex. Slowly it picked up speed, its mammoth head cutting through the water and leaving waves in its wake. It was aimed directly at the port side of the ship. They tried to turn, but feet in the crash. Surprise rippled through the crew. Never before had a whale knowingly attacked the ship.
Speaker 1:The whale dove down beneath the ship, bumping it hard enough to rip off the false keel, a massive 6 by 12 inch piece of lumber. The whale surfaced just feet from the starboard side of the ship. Stunned from the crash, it just floated alongside, regaining its composure. The whale swam away 600 yards, the enraged beast snapping its jaws and thrashing its tail in the ocean before turning and crossing in front of the Essex. Again, it turns around hundreds of yards directly ahead of the Essex and drives directly at the ship. Unable to get out of the way, the Essex takes the hit. On the port side, the ship cracks and splinters with a massive blow. It's brought to a standstill by the whale. Not finished with the Essex, the whale beats its massive tail and shoves the ship backwards through the water. Satisfied, the whale had put the ship in its place, it backs away and disappears, never to be seen again.
Speaker 1:But now the Essex was fucked. Water filled the lower decks. It was going down bow. First. The forecastle was the first to go under, then the blubber room and steerage. While it sank, the ship's steward retrieved the captain's and mate's sea chest, which contained much-needed navigation equipment. Chase and his crew rescued the spare whale boat. As the ship listed dangerously to the side, they barely got away before the Essex was capsized completely. The whole ordeal took less than 10 minutes.
Speaker 1:Not knowing what happened to the Essex, only that it had disappeared from sight, the two whaling crews dumped their catches into the ocean and sped for where they thought the Essex should be. They reached the site to find eight men crowded in the whale boat they managed to save. Pollard arrived first and stopped to watch the ship. After hearing what became of the Essex, pollard began issuing orders. They needed to save as much food and fresh water as possible. To do this they needed to cut away the mass so the partially submerged ship could try to right itself. They somewhat succeeded. The ship righted itself to a 45 degree angle. However, most of the food and fresh water was unreachable in the lower holds. They managed to save over 600 pounds of hardtack and more fresh water than the whale boats could safely hold. Tools and other equipment were salvaged, along with a musket and two pistols and two pounds of ship nails. Several turtles and two hogs swam to the boats for safety, with no other plan and needing the shelter of the ship from the wind. They spent the night tied to the remains of the Essex.
Speaker 1:It was a long and sleepless night for most of the crew, now trapped on the whale boats and listening to the sounds of the Essex creaking crack in the night. What had been their home for nearly a year was slowly sinking beneath the waves. A guard was posted throughout the night to watch for debris that could damage the boat or any other potential dangers. The next morning they returned to the waterlogged deck of the Essex to search for anything of use that might have floated up from below decks. They found nothing, with nothing left for them to find they prepared to leave the ship behind. They stripped what they could to rig the whale boats with masts and sails, each boat using pieces to form two masts and sails to go with it. They also used boards to build up the sides of the boats by over half a foot. This would be critical to keeping water out of the little boats. They would also need to protect the hardtack, the only real food they had from the saltwater. So it was wrapped in canvas and stored in the rear of the ship, which also made it easier for the officer in charge of the boat to watch over it and ration it out.
Speaker 1:When darkness fell, they were forced to quit working on the boats and tie up to the Essex for another long, sleepless night ahead. By morning the Essex was slowly breaking apart, the boards and deck separated slowly. In the waves, burst casks of oil bled into the water surrounding the boats with a yellow, stinky film. Soon the boats were covered in it, adding to the crew's torment as they slipped on it as they moved about the boat. With preparations complete, they now had to make a plan.
Speaker 1:A meeting was held between the officers as they referred to their charts and took what navigational readings they could. They poured over their copies of Boundage's Navigator, which had lists of friendly islands along with their latitude and longitudinal locations. Their options were severely limited. The listings were out of date and their boats now equipped with sails, they were once again at the mercy of the winds. The closest island to the west was the Marquesas, just a measly 1,200 miles away. However, unconfirmed rumors of cannibalism and ritualistic homosexual activity which I'm not exactly sure what that meant, but, being Prudish Quakers, anything homosexual was anathema Practice among the tribes there meant it should be avoided at all costs. Other islands were discounted for similar reasons.
Speaker 1:As the discussion wore on, it was eventually decided to try to make for the South American coast. They figured they could make it in roughly 56 days and with only 60 days worth of food and water they'd be cutting it close if they ran into trouble. The out-of-date charts and lack of knowledge severely screwed them over. One of the islands they dismissed, and was relatively close, was Tahiti, which had been a well-established English settlement for nearly 30 years. Pollard had originally wanted to head here, but Joy and Chase talked him out of it and set forth a horrible chain of events. With the plan set, they re-divided the crew, pollard's and Joy's boat would take seven men. Chase's damaged boat would take only six. And of course, the clannishness of the Nantucketers was still going strong when they divided up the men, with Pollard taking the most native Nantucketers was still going strong when they divided up the men, with Pollard taking the most native Nantucketers, and Joy, being the lowest rank, had mostly black sailors on his boat.
Speaker 1:While each boat was still technically under Pollard's command, they each retained a level of autonomy, since there was a risk they could be separated at any time during the voyage. Since there was a risk they could be separated at any time during the voyage, each boat was given 200 pounds of hardtack, 65 gallons of fresh water and two of the Galapagos turtles. And to ensure that order was strictly maintained, each mate was given a pistol, while Pollard kept the musket for himself. With that they set sail and let the remains of the Essex to its fate. By late afternoon it was no longer visible and the morale amongst the crew improved, no longer having to see their former home destroyed and sinking.
Speaker 1:From the beginning, they made every effort to remain together. Staying together helped maintain morale and keep everyone's spirits up. Plus, with the lack of navigation equipment. It was a necessity. While Pollard and Chase had compasses and charts, joy had none. If they got separated he would be lost at sea with no means of navigating At night. They kept as close as they could and spent the night talking.
Speaker 1:They were 500 miles north and a five day sail from the offshore grounds, and they figured their best hope for salvation was to cut through the grounds and get picked up by another whale ship. They were hopeful, but it was a tall order. The offshore grounds were 300 miles north to south and 2,000 miles east to west, so there was a very slim chance of catching one of the few ships in this vast stretch of ocean. While they hoped for this, they couldn't spend time in the area searching. Given their lack of provisions, they had to stick with the plan to head to South America.
Speaker 1:They were hard pressed to make what they had. Last two months they were limited to six ounces of hardtack and half a pint of water per day. This would be the equivalent of only eating six slices of bread a day and hardly any water. And this while on the open water under the blazing sun. They had the turtles, but with only two of them in each boat, they wouldn't do much to bolster their diets. They would be half-starved by the time they made it to land During their first night. They quickly ate their food and drink, but they had another issue to deal with. They had no tobacco. So they not only had hardly any food, they were starting to go through the jitters of nicotine withdrawal. So it would be another long, sleepless night for most of the crew.
Speaker 1:The winds were high, but the boat stayed close by throughout the night. The wind and constant assault from the sea spray soon started opening sores on the men's exposed skin. Daily rituals started to develop. Amongst them, chase kept a daily journal on what was happening. Others took to shaving. Benjamin Lawrence took to twisting pieces of rope together into an ever-increasing length of twine. They stopped to take readings to determine how far they traveled and where they were. They figured they were slightly ahead of schedule. However, given the lack of equipment and knowledge and just not wanting to deal with it, pollard gave up trying to keep up with their longitudinal location and only figured their latitude. So they were basically sailing blind, with no way to determine how far they were from South America.
Speaker 1:During a powerful gale, Chase's already fucked up boat twisted in the rough wind, it quickly took on water and they had to bail frantically to keep from sinking. During this, a large portion of their hardtack took on water. They managed to save most of it, but a large portion was now absolutely filled with salt. Not good when you're already water deprived. Eventually, the boat was taking in more water than they could bail and a leak was discovered below the waterline. They got the boat leaning enough to get the hole above water and, working from Polard's boat Chase, was able to hammer the planks back together and fix the leak.
Speaker 1:In the days that followed, they made good progress south. However, they were traveling straight south and no closer to South America, and since these boats weren't designed for this, they had a tendency to pull to the right, taking them away from where they needed to go. And the wind was no help. It blowed them in the direction they needed only to turn it away and push them farther from shore. One night, while they sailed in a close formation, pollard shouted out His boat had been attacked by an orca. They beat it off with poles, but not before it cracked the stern of the ship. It was now Pollard's turn to make desperate repairs, but once repaired, they were on their way again.
Speaker 1:Thirst was becoming a major problem on Chase's boat. They had started eating the salty hardtack, which only made things worse. They were starting to suffer from hypernatremia, a condition where excessive sodium caused convulsions in the body. They figured what caused it, but they had no choice but to keep eating the hardtack. They had no other provisions and they needed it to survive the trip. The wear and tear of being on the rough ocean was starting to show on the boats. The plates were starting to pull apart and they constantly needed to be bailed out.
Speaker 1:Soon the hunger overtook their need for water. So they killed one of their two turtles First, by splitting its throat, and each man taking turns to drink its blood. They collected it in their tin cups to drink from, a few, understandably, couldn't do it. They couldn't get past the thought of drinking blood. No one, however, turned down all that meat. As they cooked the turtle in its shell, they greedily tore into the first food they'd had other than hardtack for days. Their hunger led them to dig into the rich, fatty meat. There was enough for each man to have three pounds of meat, a pound of fat and half a cup of blood. A lot of food for men whose shrunken bellies were starving, and they devoured the whole turtle. None would be saved for later.
Speaker 1:They had clear sailing for the next several days. Pollard had taken a navigational reading and determined they were ahead of schedule After eating their fill of turtle. The men in Chase's boat were feeling good, had taken a navigational reading and determined they were ahead of schedule. After eating their fill of turtle, the men in Chase's boat were feeling good. The only thing they lacked was water. They were still severely dehydrated but they eventually finished off the damaged hardtack and things would improve slightly. They were still dehydrated but they were no longer taking in extra salt and making things worse.
Speaker 1:Over the next few days both Joy's then Chase's boat would take turns, becoming separated from the rest. Realizing a lot of time was being lost trying to keep everyone together, they decided if they became separated they would be on their own. Plus, if something were to happen to one boat there wouldn't be much the others could do. Everyone was already overloaded and adding to it would just lead to disaster for everyone. But the impulse to stay together was strong and they did everything they could not to separate.
Speaker 1:They fought through a terrible storm overnight. Forty-foot waves crashed around them. As the whale boats rode the crest of the waves, high winds battered them from side to side. They had tried to collect fresh water from the rains and the sails. However, the sails were so badly salted from the sea spray that the water was worse than the seawater. They managed to survive the storm and stay together, but as they sailed further south the waves kept slapping over the sides of the boats. Failing them out was a constant chore. After taking another navigational reading, pollard determined they were still ahead of schedule. They had traveled 1,100 miles, but with the wind they were pushed even farther away from their destination. They were still close to 3,000 miles away, starving and thirsty At this point. If they headed west, they would have been in Tahiti within a week. They chose not to and pushed on to South America.
Speaker 1:On December 9th, 17 days since leaving the Essex, pollard got separated from the rest. Chase and Joy ignored what they were supposed to do and looked and waited. In the morning, pollard's sail was spotted and the three boats were reunited by the 18th day. Their hunger and thirst got worse. There was a major temptation to dig into the rations, which would have doomed them all. Chase took to sleeping with an arm or leg over his sea chest, with the pistol next to him, in case anyone got any ideas about raiding their food. They would catch a lucky break when flying fish jumped over and landed in the boat. These were eagerly devoured whole scales and all but the wind was giving them hell.
Speaker 1:One day they'd make good time and able to turn toward South America. One day they'd make good time and able to turn towards South America, and then nothing. The winds would die down and they'd be stuck, often for days. Their timeline was getting shot to shit, realizing they would never make the time they allotted. Chase cut rations in half. The crew was now down to three ounces of hardtack a day.
Speaker 1:The water situation was worse, but Chase was reluctant to cut its rationing. They were seriously suffering from dehydration. Seawater would have made it worse, but they tried anyways. They tried drinking their own piss. Nothing helped. They were hitting the cottonmouth stage of thirst.
Speaker 1:During this stage, saliva thickens and the tongue sticks the teeth in the roof of their mouths. A lump forms in their throats, speech becomes hard. They're constantly wracked with pain. Their skin shrinks and is pulled tight against their skulls. Hearing becomes difficult as they start to hallucinate. Eventually, the tongue continues to harden and swell. Speech becomes impossible except for moans of pain. They're being mummified alive. The eyelids start to crack as they cry tears of blood. Swelling in the throat makes breathing difficult. Adding to this was the sun constantly beating down on them. The heat was stifling.
Speaker 1:A few of the men dipped over the side of the gunwale, which led to the discovery of barnacles attached to the underside of the boat. They eagerly plucked them from the boat and devoured them. They were so hungry they were unsuccessful in saving any for later. Just as a side note, here they were now in an area that would later be called the Desolate Region. Being so far from any type of landmass, the only nutrients available would be way down, deep at the bottom, leaving the surface unable to support any sort of marine life or even birds flying that far. So being able to do stuff like, possibly, fish to supplement their diets was out of the question, and they were stuck in this region. The wind had died completely and they were stuck.
Speaker 1:After fixing another leaf that sprung up in Chase's boat, pollard made a decision. After being stuck there with no wind, pollard ordered double rations for the men during the day, then that night they would row for all they were worth until they hit the wind again. The men became excited and looked forward to having something to do along with more food and drink. Looked forward to having something to do along with more food and drink. Now this plan sounds good on paper, but these men were not in prime condition. They were starved. Their bodies had already consumed what body fat they had and made even sitting painful. After the fat was gone, muscle was burned up for energy. They were down to barely more than skin and bones. They tried their best, but the act of rowing was near impossible. They made no progress at all.
Speaker 1:With luck, the next day the wind picked up again. They were moving, not in the right direction, but moving is better than nothing. Morale was taking a nosedive as they traveled further south, but then a ray of hope was spotted, as someone shouted out. They spotted an island. And with the discovery of the island, that is where we are going to call it a day for this week.
Speaker 1:So come back next week for the happy conclusion to this tale, where everybody lives happily ever after and no one is forced to eat another person to survive, because that's what we do here. Tell happy disaster stories where no one ever dies horrifically and everyone survives. Anyways, thanks for listening and if you liked the show, please consider leaving a rating or review on your app of choice. And you can reach the show at historyisadisaster at gmailcom with questions, comments or suggestions, and follow the show on social media like Facebook or Instagram or a few others. And don't forget to share the episode, because sharing is caring, and if there was more caring in the world, maybe history wouldn't be a disaster. Thanks and goodbye.