Essex was an american whaling ship that was rammed by a sperm whale on november 20, 1820, and later sank, sending its crew on an arduous journey to safety. Eight sailors were rescued five months later on april 5, 1821. For the crew of the essex, it was a day flecked with hope
Learn how a whale rammed into the essex, a whaling ship in 1820, and the crew's ordeal of survival and cannibalism On november 20, 1820, the essex was attacked by a sperm whale and sank 2,000 miles off south america Discover how this incident inspired herman melville to write his classic novel, moby dick.
No one knows exactly what the essex looked like This model is based on close study of period ship portraits and details preserved in the ship’s government registration documents
