Learn how a sperm whale rammed and sank the essex in 1820, leaving the crew to survive 90 days on rowboats Discover how this ordeal inspired herman melville to write moby dick, the classic novel about a vengeful whale. The whaleship essex on november 20, 1820, an enraged sperm whale rammed and sank the nantucket whaleship essex in the middle of the pacific ocean, 1,300 miles from the nearest land Twenty sailors survived the attack and quickly outfitted their three small whaleboats to make a journey to safety. In august of 1819, the whaleship essex and its crew of 21 set sail from nantucket on their way to whaling grounds in the south pacific It was a routine whaling voyage
The men expected to spend two to three years hunting whales and filling the ship's hold with sperm oil, then return to nantucket to receive their share of the profits Fortunately, we know exactly how the essex crew felt at that moment, because some of her sailors survived
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