Essex Disaster

       More Letters From Paradise
           Essex Disaster            
Generations have read and enjoyed the novel "Moby Dick," by Herman Melville. It is a tale about a mad man named Ahab, captain of  of a whale ship in  search of a giant whale that had taken one of his legs on an earlier voyage. Readers may remember that when when the giant whale Moby Dick was found, a battle ensued, and the whale ship was sunk by the whale. Fiction? sure, but I bet that few people know that the idea of a whale sinking a ship was used by Melville in writing "Moby Dick." The ship's name was the Essex,and in 1819 it set sail for a voyage to hunt whales. Fifteen months later in the South Pacific it was rammed twice by an enraged bull whale, and in spite of its four inch thick oak sides, was sunk.The 20-man crew set sail for South America 3,000 miles away in three small boats. Three months later only eight were left alive, the survivors having been forced to eat the bodies of their dead shipmates. The drawing of lots in a survival situation had long been an  accepted custom of the sea.

But all of what I have written could easily been gleaned by a search on the internet. However, if you are really interested you should obtain a copy of "In the Heart of the Sea," by Nathaniel Phrilbrick, published by  Penguin Books. I have neither the time nor the desire to summarize the book. It is a fantastic story.

Whales are not fish, they are among the largest mammals on earth. They have brains five times larger than man. The female whales give birth to their young, nurse and guide them to maturity. Why were these great creatures of the sea hunted? The answer is "oil." Whale oil was used to light homes, street lights, and lubricate machinery. Whale hunting continued until the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania.Today, whale hunting is outlawed by international treaties. But the Japanese continue to hunt, ignoring the ban, under the guise of "research."

Whale hunting was a dangerous, stinking business. Voyages of two or even three years were not uncommon. The ships would not return to port until their ships were filled with barrels of oil.

When a whale was sighted by a man on the top of the mainmast, four boats containing harpoons, lances and yards of rope, were lowered over the ships' side. Men rowed to the whale, and if it went into a dive, they waited until it ran out of air and surfaced, and threw harpoons into the whale. The whale caught by the harpoons began dragging the boats in what was called a "Nantucket Sleigh Ride." When exhausted, the whale fought for its life, and boats were often smashed, with men thrown into the sea. At last when the whale had been killed by lances, the  dead whale was towed back to the ship. Once alongside, large blankets of whale fat were poised aboard and put into large pots where the fat was boiled for its oil.

A sperm whale was most favored, as the head of the whale contained up to five hundred gallons of spermaceti,a clear, high-quality oil that partially solidifies on contact with air. The whale's intestinal tract was searched for a fatty substance called ambergris, which was used to  make perfume and was worth more than its weight in gold.

The deck of the ship would be slippery with oil, blood and vomit. It was said you could smell a whale ship before you could see it. After the whale was stripped of all it s blubber it was cast adrift.

Sailors on these long voyages without seeing whales, would sometimes scratch pictures on whale teeth or bones, than fill in the scratches with ink, which are called "scrimshaw." Very artistic, and much sought after by collectors.

Living here in Hawaii we see Humpback whales every year. They mate, rear their young and then leave for the long trip to Alaska. And by April they are gone. During the time the whales are here, whale watching trips take place daily. Teena and I have made many such trips.

On our neighboring island of Maui there is a place called "Whaler's Village." Go directly up to the second floor where there is a small museum devoted to whaling. All of the items used in hunting are displayed. But of particular interest are the open books kept by ship captains, containing details such as the type of whale and even ink drawings.

I learned not long ago that Melville, who had served on a whaleship, worked in a store here in Honolulu. I plan to see what I can find about this,if there is any information.

I am filled with information but too tired to continue. Search the internet, or even better, read the book I mentioned earlier.

   Aloha,
   Grant