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N0KFQ > TODAY 20.11.15 17:13l 34 Lines 1289 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 74916_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Nov 20
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<JM1YTR<JE7YGF<N9PMO<NS2B<N0KFQ
Sent: 151120/1509Z 74916@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1820
American vessel sunk by sperm whale
The American whaler Essex, which hailed from Nantucket,
Massachusetts, is attacked by an 80-ton sperm whale 2,000 miles
from the western coast of South America.
The 238-ton Essex was in pursuit of sperm whales, specifically
the precious oil and bone that could be derived from them, when
an enraged bull whale rammed the ship twice and capsized the
vessel. The 20 crew members escaped in three open boats, but only
five of the men survived the harrowing 83-day journey to the
coastal waters of South America, where they were picked up by
other ships. Most of the crew resorted to cannibalism during the
long journey, and at one point men on one of the long boats drew
straws to determine which of the men would be shot in order to
provide sustenance for the others. Three other men who had been
left on a desolate Pacific island were saved later.
The first capture of a sperm whale by an American vessel was in
1711, marking the birth of an important American industry that
commanded a fleet of more than 700 ships by the mid 18th century.
Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick (1851) was inspired in
part by the story of the Essex.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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