Owen Chase (1797–1869)

Terrific account of the trials and tribulations of the crew of the Whaleship Essex, who faced starvation and a drift across the ocean after a whale sank their ship. Chase's style, explaining the events and the lengths the crew had to go to to survive is plainly told making it very compelling. This is the book that inspired Herman Melville's "Moby Dick."

A clear, first-hand account from a survivor of one of the more famous sea disasters. The subject matter is difficult, but Chase's narrative avoids melodrama and relays the facts with straightforward prose. This book isn't for everyone, but people might find something useful here if they love history, sea adventures, memoirs, or accounts of survival against overwhelming odds.

This is the same book that was originally published in 1821 as Narratives of the Wreck of the Whale-Ship Essex. It's fantastic. I'm immediately recommended it to my husband as a quick and engrossing non-fiction book. Herman Melville based a good deal of Moby-Dick on this narrative. I read it because I'm doing a historical presentation on Moby-Dick. I'll probably read it again just for the fun of it.

This is the first-person account of the disaster of the Essex by the first mate. The Essex was show more sunk by a whale and all hands had to escape in the whale boats 1000 miles from land. Chase's narrative is straight forward but wow, he has you in the boat with him. The hardships they endured are astounding but so is the ingenuity and will to live that the sailors displayed. They dealt with hunger, thirst, heat, sharks and eventually had to make very tough decisions to stay alive. Eight of the initial crew of 20 made it home. If you love a good adventure story or a good survival story or just a good story, this is it. For having been written in 1821, the language is very accessible. Highly recommended.

I was fortunately able to get this book from Netgalley in exchange for review. show less

Although attacks by whales on whalers were not at all common, there were instances, of which Herman Melville was aware. This collection of related pieces leads off with the lion's share of the content, a first-hand account of the sinking of the Nantucket whaler Essex in 1820, after a large sperm whale rammed her 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the western coast of South America. First mate Owen Chase, one of eight survivors, recorded theses events in his 1821 narrative where the privation and show more cannibalism after the attack dwarfs the drama of the violently defensive animal. This leads to additional supporting pieces on attacking whales and cannibalism including the late 1830s of the albino sperm whale Mocha Dick. Mocha Dick was rumored to have 20 or so harpoons in his back from other whalers, and appeared to attack ships with premeditated ferocity. Mocha Dick was an albino and partially inspired Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick, or, the Whale. show less