Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #384024 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

Thar She Blows! One of the Greatest Survival Sagas!
What does it mean to be indomitable? This book displays that wonderful human quality in a remarkably effective way. The next time you consider giving up, just imagine yourself on the trackless sea in a small boat from the Essex.

This story has to be one of the most astonishing survival tales in recorded history. Before I say more, let me caution you that this story (and parts of this review) is not for those with weak stomachs.

After their ship is disabled by an attacking sperm whale, the survivors find themselves on three open boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean over 2,000 miles from their targeted landfall in South America. With luck, they will make it in 30 days. They soon find themselves in a stall as the winds fail to cooperate, except to provide severe storms that threaten to capsize the boats.

Soon, all the food is encrusted with salt and everyone is suffering with severe dehydration. Then things start to get worse! I won't go further, but you have an amazing story of survival ahead of you.

Two of the few survivors of this terrible ordeal later committed their experiences to writing, which provide great resources for this well-researched book.

At another level, the book is also extremely interesting because these experiences were important influences on Herman Melville's writing of the American classic, Moby Dick. The book makes that connection for you, including how Melville came to learn the story.

At a third level, the book is a fascinating history of whaling around 1920. If you are like me, you will cringe when the whalers devastate island after island . . . as well as the whale population. But that's not the limit to their willingness to use nature to their own advantage.

The ultimate irony is that the survivors went the wrong way. Those from Nantucket did not know about Tahiti and Hawaii, and chose not to go in either of those directions -- either of which would have provided more rapid safety and comfort. The primary reason they chose not to go in these directions is because they feared running into cannibals. Soon the survivors were studying the remains of dead shipmates with hunger. And then it gets worse.

So, you have three different kinds of books to read here, anyone of which could be enormously enjoyable to you. Get ready for the trip of your life!

Land ho!

Fascinating true story
This is a thoroughly well researched book and is written in a clear and easily readable style. What helps carry the narrative is that it is full of interesting detials that carry the story along marvelously. It is the obviuos inspiration for Herman Melvilles 'Moby Dick'and Nathaniel Philbrick uncovers the connection. For any fan of obscure history this is a must read and it is also a brilliant window into the attitudes of those who whaled out of Nantucket in its 'heyday', it is also entirely gratifying to know that one whale actually managed to fight back with devastating results for those that preyed on these wonderful creatures.

Sea epic...
I never thought there was a recorded account of an actual sinking of a ship by a whale...how wrong I was! This is the true story of the sinking of the whale ship Essex by an 80 ton sperm whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in 1820. This is `thee' actual story that prompted Herman Melville to write his famous Moby Dick novel.

Having been rammed by an angry whale the Essex sank within ten minutes and its twenty one man crew took to the sea with scant provisions in three whaling boats. What follows is a four thousands mile plus sea odyssey of incredible suffering and privation. Despite some serious errors of judgement where closer landfall could have been reached such as Easter Island, Pitcairn or Tahiti...the survivors show remarkable seamanship in reaching Chile after spending a desperate three months adrift.

This is not a tale along the lines of Shackletons epic South however where all live to tell the tale of their ordeal. Only two of the three boats reach safety and only eight crewmen survive the journey, the remainder die a terrible death mainly from lack of food, water or the suffer mortally from the adverse elements. When I say `mainly', some of the occupants die by `lot' selection by their crewmates and are killed....you can guess what comes after that...yes you guessed it messmate cannibalism.

This is a well written explanatory book that as well as highlighting the individual characters involved also gives a good descriptive narrative of the whaling techniques and equipment of the period. The description of the boat journeys however is the coup de main as the suffering and the despair of the crew leaps out from the pages.....a great single sitting read of four hours, it's that good!