Navigation and history of science: The tragedy of the whaleship Essex

Abstract

On November 20, 1820, the whaleship Essex was attacked by a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean. The crew left the place in whaling boats, which worked as lifeboats. The supplies were very scarce, because the crew rescued only what they could, and many of those supplies were spoiled by the action of water and salt. Dehydration, malnutrition and psychopathological changes resulted from a situation of extreme survival. Fighting against their moral and religious principles, they began eating the flesh of the companions who were dying, and finally they sacrificed some of them as the last source of nutrients. Adrift, in the middle of the Pacific, some survivors were sighted and then rescued. This is their story.

Keywords

• Essex
• sperm whales
• shipwreck
• survival
• starvation
• cannibalism