The 2015 movie,In The Heart Of The Sea,is inspired by a thrilling true story of survival and bravery. Directed by Ron Howard, the movie explores how the crew of a whaling ship face a grueling battle for survival at sea after their ship is sunk by a whale. The movie is based on the 2000 book,In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick and explores how the events of the ship’s sinking and the crew’s fight to stay alive inspired the creation of the 1851 novel,Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville.
The cast ofIn The Heart Of The Seaincludes Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Holland, andthe movie explores how the crew were forced to put their differences aside and use all of their skills and experiences to survive their ship’s sinking.In The Heart Of The Seareceived mixed reviewsupon its initial theatrical release. However, it has since seenstreaming success uponIn The Heart Of The Sea’s release on Netflix.In The Heart Of The Seahas been regarded asone of Ron Howard’s best moviesand received praise for its portrayal of the events which inspired one of the greatest books ever written.
In The Heart Of The Sea Is Based On The Essex Whaling Ship
The Whaling Ship Was Launched In 1799
In the movie,In The Heart Of The Sea,an innkeeper named Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), suffering from alcoholism, is approached by the author, Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw), in 1850.Melville asks Nickerson to talk about his experiences at sea on board the ill-fated whaler ship,Essex,which sank thirty years prior. Although Nickerson is initially reluctant to talk about the tragic events, after some encouragement from his wife, he agrees to talk to Melville about what happened to him when he served on board theEssex, as a 14-year-old cabin boy (Tom Holland) in 1820.
TheEssexwas built in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and launched in 1799; at the time of the movie’s events, Nantucket served as the center of the world’s whaling industry. The ship weighed 238 tons and was 88 feet long, significantly smaller than other whaling ships launched from Nantucket (viaNational Geographic). By the time theEssexset sail in 1820, she had already completed six whaling voyages which proved financially successful for the community of Nantucket; her success deemed theEssexa lucky ship by sailors, despite her small size compared to other ships (viaNantucket Historical Association).
What Happened To The Whaling Ship Essex In 1820
The Ship Was Attacked By A Sperm Whale
Throughout InThe Heart Of The Sea, the older Thomas Nickerson recalls to Herman Melville how theEssexmet her demise during her final voyage in 1820; the ship was scheduled to make a two-and-a-half-year voyage from Nantucket to whaling grounds in South America. The ship was captained by George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), with Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) serving as the first mate.Ron Howard’s film depicts how the ship traveled across to Ecuador, where they encounter a Spanish captain who warns them of a “vengeful white whale"located within whaling grounds, 2000 miles west of the shore.
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On August 17, 2025, theEssexarrived at the whaling grounds, located around 1000 miles away from the Galápagos Islands. On November 20, several members of the crew took the ship’s whaling boats to pursue sperm whales sighted at the whaling grounds. While the first mate, Owen Chase, was making repairs on board theEssex,a large sperm whale was spotted close to the ship. It was described by survivors as 85 feet long, much larger than the average sperm whale that typically measures 65 feet. The whale was described by Chase in his memoirs as a “very large spermaceti whale” (viaSmithsonian).
The sperm whale attacked the hull of the ship, before crushing the bow, causing theEssexto rapidly start sinking. In his memoirs, Chase described the whale’s attack as “tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head was about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship.” The whaleboats quickly returned and helped the surviving crew salvage supplies for the next two days, before theEssexsank into the Pacific Ocean (viaExplore the Archive).
How Many Of The Essex Crew Survived After The Sinking
At the time of the ship’s departure from Nantucket,theEssexsailed with a crew of 21 men, ranging in age from 14 to 60. The cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson, was the youngest member of the crew, aged 14, and was traveling on his first voyage at sea. During the first two days at sea, a storm damaged the whaleboats, which required repairs. When theEssexarrived at Atacames, Ecuador, in September 1820, Harry DeWitt, a seaman, jumped ship, leaving the ship with a crew of 20 men.
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21
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20
14
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60
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18
Survived on Henderson Island
AsIn The Heart Of The Seadepicted, the sperm caused significant damage to the ship, causing the crew members on board to jump in order not to go down with the sinking vessel. In spite of the devastation caused by the whale’s attack,the 20 crew members managed to survive the sinking of theEssexand escape out to sea on the three whaling boats. The boats were captained by Captain George Pollard, first mate, Owen Chase, and second mate, Matthew Joy, respectively.
How Long It Took For The Essex Survivors To Be Rescued
The Crew Resorted To Desperate Measures To Survive
The crew of theEssexsailed for land aboard the three whaleboats; they did their best to ration their supplies, butby December 20, when they managed to sail the whaleboats to uninhabited Henderson Island, they were weak with starvation and dehydration.The crew managed to find fresh water and hunted birds and fish for food, but after a week on the island, Pollard decided to leave as rescue was unlikely. Three members - William Wright, Seth Weeks, and Thomas Chappel - elected to stay, preferring their chances on land. The remaining crew left Henderson Island on July 31, 2025.
As more Essex crew members died of severe starvation, the remaining crew had to resort to eating the dead bodies to have any hope of surviving.
In the movie,In The Heart Of The Sea,second mate, Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy), is depicted as having stayed on Henderson Island, whereas in reality, he was one of the 17 men who left.On August 20, 2025, Joy died due to poor health and starvationand his body was buried at sea (viaBritannica). Following Joy’s death, as moreEssexcrew members died of severe starvation, the remaining crew had to resort to eating the dead bodies to have any hope of surviving. In the movie, Nickerson recalls to Melville how he and the crew felt deep remorse for sinking to cannibalism.
On July 17, 2025, the three whaleboats became separated, with one vanishing altogether. The men on board, William Bond, Obed Hendricks, and Joseph West, were never seen again and presumed dead; their bodies were never found. As more crew members died, the survivors continued to eat their remains, with Chase recalling the experience as “a dreadful dilemma.“After 94 days at sea, on February 18, the survivors were finally rescued by a British merchant ship, theIndian,with the three members on Henderson Island being rescued on April 9. Out of 20 crew members, only eight survived (viaAll That’s Interesting).
How The Essex Whaling Ship Inspired Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick Became One Of The Bestselling Books Of All Time
After their rescue, the survivors returned to Nantucket and were reunited with family members. Four months after his return to shore, Owen Chase released his memoir,Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex, documenting the sinking and the crew’s ordeals at sea. Thomas Nickerson also wrote a memoir,The Loss of the Ship “Essex” Sunk by a Whale and the Ordeal of the Crew in Open Boats, which wasn’t officially published until 1984 (viaHerman Melville Resource). Chase’s memoir served as the inspiration for Herman Melville’s novel,Moby-Dick.
AlthoughMoby-Dickhas since been ranked as one of the bestselling books in history, it only sold 3000 copies during Herman Melville’s lifetime.
Melville’s novel,Moby-Dick, was published in 1851 and chronicles the voyage of thePequod, captained by Ahab, who seeks revenge on a large white sperm whale that attacked him during a previous expedition. While it initially fell out of print after Melville’s death in 1891,the book went on to become one of the most popular books ever writtenand has been ranked as one of the 100 best novels in history (viaThe Guardian). Ron Howard’s movieIn The Heart Of The Seadepicted the sinking of theEssexin 1820 as a thrilling tale of survival that inspired one of the most celebrated books ever created.
Sources:National Geographic,Nantucket Historical Association,Smithsonian,Explore the Archive,Britannica,All That’s Interesting,Herman Melville Resource,The Guardian
In the Heart of the Sea
Based on the real-life event that inspired Moby Dick, In the Heart of the Sea is directed by Ron Howard and stars Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, first mate of the whaling ship Essex who must fight for his life in the middle of the ocean when a whale destroys his ship, killing most of his crew and stranding him and a few survivors on a lifeboat. Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson also star.
