In the Heart of the Sea In 1819 Essays

In the Heart of the Sea In 1819 Essays In the Heart of the Sea In 1819 Essay In the Heart of the Sea In 1819 Essay Essay Topic: The Heart Goes Last In the Heart of the Sea In 1819, The whale ship, Essex, set its sails and departed from Nantucket, Massachusetts on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean to hunt and kill sperm whales and retrieve the abundance of oil the whales possess, which became a crucial component in 19th century industry [2]. The island of Nantucket had been one of the most important oil businesses for quite some time. For the crew of the whale ships, harvesting whales was a tough assignment; when a whale was spotted, the crew would approach it, harpoon it, and then try to kill it. Once a whale was killed, its blubber was peeled from the corpse and then boiled for the high quality oil. On this particular journey the crew faced even more difficulties than just the killing of the whales. As sperm whales can reach upwards of sixty tons [1], they had the potential to destroy a whaling boat, as the crew of the Essex unfortunately learned. The whale ship goes through a huge storm, was attacked by a large sperm whale, became shipwrecked and was forced to navigate the sea with limited supplies in very small whaleboats, leading to starvation, dehydration, cannibalism, and even death. The story of the Essex is an important part of history, as it demonstrated not only the importance of the whaling industry upon 19th century citizens, but how such a tragic event played an important role on a community such as Nantucket. Soon after arriving in the Pacific, the crew made several stops along the coast of South America, slaughtering many whales along the way. George Pollard, the captain, then charted a course for another area near the coast of South America, which had come to be known as a hot spot for hunting whales. The crew of the Essex had never ventured into these waters and the whalers were unfortunately unaware of the dangers that awaited them in this uncharted territory. The tides turn on the whalers on November 20, 1820; the lookout crew spotted a pod of whales and immediately the harpoon crew boarded the whaleboat to pursue the whales. As the captain ordered Lawrence to get even closer to the whale, the harpoon hit the whale, forcing it to panic and whip the boat with its tail, gouging out a hole in the side of the boat. After one of their whaleboats had been damaged days before, another boat became severely damaged. As the harpooners limped back to the Essex, a massive sperm whale appeared off the bow, acting in a very suspicious manner. The whale then swam vigorously towards the vessel, ramming the side of the Essex, which led to the capsizing of the whale ship. The blunt, square shaped head of a sperm whale is what allowed it to ram the vessel without causing damage to the animal, not to mention they weigh upwards of thirty-five to forty-five tons [1]. This instance became the first documented whale attack on any type of ship. Perhaps the brutality of the slaughters enraged the large whale to attack. Whales are excellent communicators and the dying whales could have sent a distress signal that prompted the attack. Clearly the decision by Captain Chase to get closer to the whale that damaged the smaller ship led to even more unfortunate events. Philbrick discusses different ideas about why the attack took place. Some speculate that the attack could have just been accidental. Others contribute the attack due to the natural aggressiveness of male sperm whales. The cause will never be known, but the effects of the attack soon took a devastating toll to the entire crew of the Essex, and many decisions were made shortly thereafter the whales attack had ultimate importance. Many would have fought to keep the wounded alive; others would seek to quickly move on and leave the wounded to die. The most significant decision made came from Captain Pollard, who wanted to choose what would have been the better option, but listened to the other officers and decided to sail a different route to South America, rather than go west, which would have been a shorter distance to the safety of shore. The mens speculations about the unknown contributed to their fear to sail for other islands in that area. Another costly decision. Soon thereafter the negative consequences began to reek havoc on the crew. Hunger, thirst, weather and even another attack from a whale added unneeded side effects. The saltwater burned their open wounds, their skins were severely sun burnt, not to mention toll that the loneliness played on the crew’s ability to mentally withhold the circumstances. The difficult decisions they made ultimately led to situations and experiences that the crew would hope to forget. On the other hand, they were able to make some smart choices. They made sails for their smaller boats from the damaged Essex, and raised the sides of the boats to prevent waves from crashing aboard. Soon after all the abuse their bodies took, they reached the Henderson Islands. The days spent there provided the shipmates with slightly sufficient quantities of water, and a good supply of food. Although the Henderson Islands were not enough, the crew was still reassured and somewhat recuperated for what lied ahead. Two died shortly after departure from the islands and were buried at sea. But as the journey progresses, the dead could not be so easily let go. The irony stemming from this was that cannibalism was the reason they took such an indirect route, and eventually allowed members of the crew to stay alive. So many life-threatening choices were made, some costly, some life saving. Either way, decision making led to climactic brutal experiences that had an effect on the Nantucket community, as well as the history of the whaling industry. Only five remained alive after the ordeal despite their starvation, exhaustion and severe dehydration, they were all desperately anxious to tell of their experiences to their community. Towards the 18th century, colonists began to form what they called, whale fisheries [2]. â€Å"Islanders from Nantucket, who had taken to whaling because their soil was too poor for farming, killed their first sperm whale in 1712. † [2]. Sperm whales were among the most highly prized of the whales. Sperm whales had a rich abundance of blubber and bone that was very useful, and they also contained a rare material called â€Å"spermaceti†, a waxy oil found inside an organ in the whales’ bodies [2]. Spermaceti was used in candles and was widely viewed as being crucial to making the very best candles. So why was whaling so important in this time period? Oil was a necessary commodity for machinery, and was beginning to become limited, â€Å"a 19th century whaler regarded a whale as a swimming oil well. † [2]. At this point in time, machines were being more widely used, and the oil from whales greatly attributed to the industrial revolution [2]. Finding well paying jobs was difficult, as the nation was still developing. Even despite the difficulties and dangers of serving on a whale ship, large numbers of men were drawn to the monetary benefits, and even just the anticipation of a thrilling adventure. Returning from the long voyages safely, with a good supply of killed whales, was utterly essential and yielded important profits for colonies, especially Nantucket. So for such a tragedy like the Essex, one can imagine the negative consequences brought about by their misfortune. The fear of the unknown was amplified, the loss in profits surely was not accepted well, and the sheer torment the crew dealt with struck fear in the eyes of those in the whaling industry. Captain Pollard was viewed as insane, and ended up forfeiting his whaling career later on. Perhaps the most damaging consequences of the catastrophe were the fact that the five surviving sailors had to live with the memories of their journey. I cannot fathom how a sailor can be able to fully mentally recover from such a calamity. Sure the physical consequences of the long struggle were difficult to recover from, but being shipwrecked at sea can be one of the most mentally challenging experiences. The severe dehydration surely led to hallucinations, which could impair decision making and give the sailors false hope. The lack of food forced the sailors into the most desperate of measures. Obviously, resulting to cannibalism was the last thing any person would want to do, but proved to be life saving. I am sure the surviving whalers are faced with some hard memories, such as the whale attack and the loss of shipmates, but all definitely lived with the memories of eating their deceased crew members. The long term effects of such a devastating event had an impact on the future of whaling and industry in the colonies. The story of the Essex was very significant in the progression of industry, became central for the future of whaling, had a drastic impact on community of Nantucket and became an important part of American history. 1. acsonline. org/factpack/spermwhl. htm 2. http://history1800s. about. com/od/whaling/a/histwhaling. htm