It was an attack made by an enraged sperm whale in the early 19th century against a whaling ship in the middle of the Pacific. The 26-meter-long cetacean collided violently twice with the vessel, only 1 meter larger than the animal, until it sank for good. The sailors managed to escape the attack, but after months adrift at sea, few survived – and that after doing unimaginable things to not die. This story ended up inspiring the American writer Herman Melville (1819-1891) to write one of the classics of literature, moby dick. See how this electrifying hunting revenge was!
avenging cetacean
Animal didn’t let it go and sank whaler who wanted to hook him
1. The whaler Essex left the port of Nantucket, on the coast of Massachusetts (USA), in 1819, for a hunting expedition in the South Pacific. With 27 meters in length and 238 tons, it was led by Captain George Pollard Jr., of 28 years old, and had another 20 sailors on board
2. In November 1820, a year after sailing, the sailors sighted a group of whales and started to launch their harpoons. Among them was a huge sperm whale estimated to be 26 meters and 80 tons. With a scarred head, he seemed not to fear the hunters.
3. And he wasn’t afraid at all. Suddenly, the avenging cetacean, which was 100 meters away, flicked its tail and swam towards the Essex, hitting it brutally in the side. The boat lurched as if it had hit a rock, knocking everyone to the ground.
4. After the first shock, the enraged sperm whale moved about 600 meters away and aimed at the vessel again, beating the water with its tail. The animal then took off like a missile towards the boat and gave the fatal thud. The Essex cracked and began to sink. The whale broke free of the shattered boards and swam away, never to be seen again.
5. Terrified, the 21 men boarded three boats carrying 65 gallons of water and 100 kilos of biscuits. A month later, they reached a deserted island, but, thinking they wouldn’t last long there, they left in two boats to try to reach South America. Three men decided to stay
6. The boats soon lost each other. On Captain Pollard’s boat, the men were already suffering from diarrhea, fainting, and sores from poor diet. Without water, they began to drink their own pee. Then the weakest began to die. The first bodies were thrown into the sea, as per naval tradition.
7. However, when the rango ended for good, the castaways despaired. In order not to starve to death, they decided to practice cannibalism, feeding on their own dead comrades. First, they cut off the head and then devoured the heart and liver.
8. A few weeks passed and, as there were no more casualties, the desperate decided to make an even more extreme decision: draw lots who would be sacrificed to feed the group. The executing executioner was also drawn
9. Finally, 95 days after the sperm whale attack, Captain Pollard’s boat was rescued by a boat. At that point, he and the other survivor were so disoriented that they didn’t even notice the approach of the rescue vessel – they were gnawing on the bones of a dead colleague.
• Of the 21 sailors, only eight survived: two from the captain’s boat, three from the other boat and three saved from the island. Of the 13 dead, seven were devoured by their companions
• The force of the whale’s impact was so great that it was equivalent to the impact of a 1 ton car traveling at 100 km/h!
Read too:
– What are the biggest whales in the world?
– Why do whales eject water?
– How do whales suckle at the bottom of the sea?