On November 20, 1820 the Essex, an American whaling ship, which had set sail from the hub of Massachusetts’ picturesque island of Nantucket a year before, sank. George Pollard Jr was its captain, and in a harrowing clash, he was faced with a monstrous 80-ton sperm whale some 2,000 miles (3,200km) from the western coast of South America. Just over 30 years later, the events of that chilling day became the story behind one of America’s most cherished stories ... Read even more
