Historical recorders of one of the definitive attacks of a sperm whale on a whaling ship, Owen Chase [left] and Thomas Nickerson [right]. The true heroes of a real life sinking, as a giant cetacean took exception to being killed to be rendered down into barrels of oil for profit. Petroleum came next, giving us global warming, and now we have the United Nations desperately trying to mend the damage from years of inaction, via their Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is a book by American writer Nathaniel Philbrick about the loss of the whaler Essex in the Pacific Ocean in 1820. The book was published by Viking Press on May 8, 2000, and won the 2000 National Book Award for Nonfiction. It was adapted into a film of the same name, which came out in late 2015.

In 1819, the 238-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage to hunt whales. Fifteen months later the Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale. Fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, the 20-man crew set out in three small boats for South America, almost 3,000 miles away. Three months later, only eight were left alive. This book shares a fantastic saga of survival and adventure, steeped in the lore of the whaling tradition, with deep resonance in literature and American history, and in the life of the Nantucket community.

STORY SUMMARY

The Essex, an American whaleship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, sank after a sperm whale attacked it in the Pacific Ocean in November 1820. Having lost their ship, the crew of the Essex attempted to sail to South America in whaleboats. After suffering from starvation and dehydration, most of the crew died before the survivors were rescued in February 1821.

In retelling the story of the crew's ordeal, Philbrick utilizes an account written by Thomas Nickerson, who was a teenage cabin boy on board the Essex and wrote about the experience in his old age; Nickerson's account was found in 1960 but was not authenticated until 1980. In 1984, an abridged version of his account was finally published. The book also utilizes the better known account of Owen Chase, the ship's first mate, which was published soon after the ordeal.

Publication date 2001. Publisher New York: Penguin

Penguin Books: pp. xiv–xv. ISBN 0-14-100182-8

Viking Books: ISBN 0-670-89157-6
Topics Essex (Whaleship), Shipwrecks

FILM ADAPTATION

The story was adapted into a feature film in 2015 by director Ron Howard, starring Chris Hemsworth, Ben Whishaw, and Cillian Murphy. Advertising for the film points out that the historical story inspired Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' mythology.

There was no mention of Mocha Dick in 1838 or the Ann Alexander sinking in 1851.

RECEPTION

In the Heart of the Sea won the 2000 U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction.

NATHANIEL PHILBRICK