On 20 November 1820, the Nantucket whaling ship Essex was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the south Pacific. The Essex was 87′ 7″ while one report put the whale at 85′. First mate Owen Chase and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson each wrote accounts, the first an inspiration for Moby-Dick. Chase and Nickerson… Continue reading #OTD 20 November – The beast on sea and land