WIKIPEDIA SPECIAL: The Whaleship Essex, with Joey Howlett (episode 18)

THAR she blows! Welcome to our first “Wikipedia Special,” an episode where someone tells us a story that you could otherwise find by reading one wikipedia page. Today’s page: “Essex (whaleship),” a story that features 300 turtles, a really big whale, and some difficult decisions. Historical figures Captain Pollard, Owen Chase, Michael Joy, and asshole Thomas Chapel make up our cast of characters. A fun activity: keep count of the working whale boats, keep count of the survivors. The wiki page is your built-in content warning - read it first if you have trouble with gross or unsavory material. 

image from the wikipedia page “Nantucket sleighride”

SHOW NOTES: 

Our star of the episode: the wikipedia article Essex (whaleship). 

I don’t have a ton of additional links to share with you, because the entire story came from this one Wikipedia article, but I couldn’t help looking up: 

A “Nantucket sleighride” is the dragging of a whaleboat by a harpooned whale, according to wikipedia. 

Some basic facts about sperm whales: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sperm-whale

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of The Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick is a book that came out in 2001.

A movie with the same name came out in 2015, starring Chris Hemsworth as a young Owen Chase. 

Wifi - learn what it stands for on our friend wikipedia! (or by listening to the end of this episode)

Watch “Up to Here,” a short film by Joey Howlett, Steve Harrellson, and Luke Sarre on youtube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAX8F6a3Rl4