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The ill-fated whale-ship The Essex, was rammed by an 85-foot sperm whale on 20th November, 1820. The incident inspired Herman Melville\u2019s sea-faring novel, Moby Dick.\nLeft to fend for themselves in tiny whaling boats, the young crew had to make terrible choices in order to preserve their own survival - including how and when to eat each other.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why it was not only whales, but also tortoises and mockingbirds that had to fear the crews from Nantucket; consider Captain Pollard\u2019s position as a \u2018Jonah\u2019 on his return to New England; and reveal how family ties played their part in the crew\u2019s grizzly dilemma\u2026\nCONTENT WARNING: description of cannibalism, animal cruelty.\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018The Essex Disaster\u2019 (American Heritage, 1983): https://www.americanheritage.com/essex-disaster#2\n\u2022 \u2018The Whaleship Essex Disaster And The True Story Behind 'Moby Dick'\u2019 (All Thats Interesting, 2020): https://allthatsinteresting.com/essex-ship\nThis episode first premiered in 2022, for members of \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!\n\xa0\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/retrospectors\n\xa0\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n\n\n\u2022 \u2018Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex (Audiobook)\u2019 (Owen Chase, 1821): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8t_jf8JlEo\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices