Shipwreck Of The Whaleship Essex

byOwen Chase

The true story that inspired the film In the Heart of the Sea

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DON'T MISS THE MAJOR FILM INSPIRED BY CHASE'S NARRATIVE, IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

On 20 November 1820, just south of the equator, the whaling ship Essex, spotted and pursued a shoal of sperm whales. As the crew started harpooning, the largest whale – some 85 feet long – rammed the Essex twice and 'stove in her bows'. What followed was an epic three-month voyage in open boats across storm-tossed seas. Only eight men survived, sustained by eating those who died.

This edition includes Owen Chases’s famous account, as well as memoirs by two other crew members and a facsimile of Herman Melville's notes on Chase’s narrative.

The effect is kaleidoscopic. A vivid portrait emerges of the shipwrecked men's privatations and fundamental moral dilemma: literally to eat or be eaten

Lawrence Norfolk

About Owen Chase

Owen Chase was born in 1797 and worked as a whaler in Nantucket. In November 1820, the whale ship Essex, of which Chase was First Mate, was struck and sunk by a sperm whale. His subsequent account of the three-month-long ordeal that followed was published in 1821 and inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. Afterwards, Chase continued to work as a whaler, embarking on several further expeditions until 1840. Despite many years at sea he married four times during this period. Chase’s latter years were haunted by memories of the disaster and he was eventually institutionalised. He died in 1869.
Details
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • ISBN: 9781473545168
  • Length: 176 pages
  • Price: £6.99
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