The Real Moby Dick Was So Much Worse 

I like the pictorials used to keep the people straight. There were a lot and I would’ve been confused. They were also cute in a story filled with horror.

"An 85 ton, murderous whale." "Boo." I cannot tell you how hard that little pan down and boo made me laugh

Lessons learned: - whale poop will save us all - Pollard needed to grow a shiny new spine - of course the black men all died first . . . :/ - when it doubt, stay on the freaking Henderson Island. Where there's water and shade, if nothing else

"it wasnt whale revenge, it was a whale that was pissed at all the random slaughter of its family" Sounds like whale revenge to me bud.

So... none of it would've happened if Pollard had the balls to tell Chase, "No." And that he's the captain, they do what he says?

To the whale that attacked the Essex: you're doing amazing sweety

The irony of them harvesting ambergris for perfume when the smell on those ships must’ve been HORRENDOUS.

"The crew falls, tortoises are flying around." Tortoises: *Literally flying*

I love the sound effects for when someone dies on the boat... lmao

"We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune!"

"what's with this crew?" They pissed in Poseidon's eye... but Poseidon has a lot more piss.

In Disneyland in Anaheim they have a ride called “story book land”. I don’t recommend that ride for you lol. The beginning is entering the land through a huge whale mouth 🤣

I watched In The Heart Of The Sea a few years ago and was thoroughly traumatized by it. The real story is *terrifying*

When you are caring for your grandparents who don’t have wifi, and you are running out of data but Caitlin posts

Whale Facts: Whale oil was desirable for lamps because it burns clean without smoke.

I'm on the side of the whale, frankly.

The shark picture you used is one my marine bio teacher took! Shout out to Joanne Jarzobski

Some years ago I remember reading that a modern large yacht with a white hull was attacked and sunk by a whale(s). Fortunately, the family on-board survived the ordeal without have to resort to eating each other. Later, it was postulated that the whale(s) who attacked the yacht mistook the yacht for a sperm whale.

When you watch this story and actually root for the whale: Me

Ship: (90 degrees, has been knocked down) Pollard: no its fine

Thank you so much for your content! Love it!! Also, love that you gave a shoutout to my hometown as one of the places you used to transport bodies to/from yay!! 🎉

hearing how they killed the whale broke my heart :(

"uhhh, has anyone seen...THE SHIP?" Caitlin, you deserve an award for that delivery, istg.

Of course, the voyage with the TikTok influencers on it would burn down a whole island just for a prank.

I love how Avatar was just Pocahontas and Avatar 2 is just Moby Dick

21:39 wait did they also not know how beautiful Tahiti is? I mean if you’re going to be eaten, that’s the landscape to die looking at…

2 things. 1. I had a similar experince when I went to a museum when I was like 9. they had a massive whale skeleton as well as a Megaladon jaw setup. Two things 9 year old me thought were freaking awesome. Flash forward to about 15 or so years later and I learned about the odd sound that scientists had heard coming from deep within the ocean. They had no idea what it was. It wasn't the correct pitch for it to be any known kind of whale, but whatever it is, it was massive. Now, present me says: Eff the ocean. It can exist on it's own far away from me.

At 69 I have watched A LOT of documentaries - I just love them, finding the REAL story so much more interesting than a Hollywood version. After watching this fantastic video I immediately watched two more and have no doubt I will watch all of her documentaries. Bravo to a team who has the ability to make any subject matter exciting and endlessly fascinating.

Mr Ballens channel brought me here, and I'm so glad it did!!! New sub! Love your style!

I love those little lip smacking sounds when you would say "He died, and was eaten" (smack smack smack)

"Nantucket, a place where black whalers are no longer eaten."

Humans have just always been horrible haven't we?

bonus whale fact: sailors used to make art out of the bones of whales called “scrimshaw”. one of the more common versions is made out of their teeth. the sailors would carve into the bone, and then rub ink into the engravings. it’s one of my favorite types of art:)

I'm ALWAYS so 'happy' (kinda) when I find someone that has the same dark humor that I have. ;)

For some reason I feel sadder about the whales dying than the hunters.

Dont you hate it when your compass was swallowed by the sea

A couple of years ago I read a book called "Ahab's Wife" which is Moby Dick fanfiction about Ahab's wife (who is mentioned in like two sentences, including a moving speech towards the end) and her cool adventures. It's a lot better than it sounds and shows a lot of research into that time period. Anyway, she dresses like a boy to sneak onto a whaling ship and unfortunately that ship goes down QUITE like the Essex. In fact, when I was reading the Wikipedia article for the Essex a month or so ago, I was like "this is really familiar?" So the author went back to the story that inspired Moby Dick and put it into her adaptation with more of the elements from the original, real historical event

there's only 1.3 million whales left in the world ? that's fewer whales than there are people in Wales.

28:43 "that's not what you promised to do"

The fact Pollard wanted to protect Coffin and offered to take his place/kill someone else is both sweet and terribly heartbreaking.

The Mocha Dick story is depressing. He was apparently killed by whalers when he came to the aid of a female whale whose calf had been killed

My grandfather was Shanghaied in Boston at the beginning of the 20th century. He was drinking in a waterfront bar. He woke up the next day out at sea. He spent 2 years whaling off the antarctic. He was paid. He was a 'flensir' (Norweigian) or a person that stripped the blubber off the dead whale's carcass. He told me himself over 65 years ago. He had photos.

This reminds me of a distinct memory I had as a kid growing up in New England. There was something like museum celebration of the history of whaling. And I had just seen free Willy and I was ALL OF THE UPSET. and people kept trying to shut me up and lying to me. “It’s not what you think” Yes it was. It was a celebration of murdering whales.

There is a specific fear of naturally or unnaturally large objects in water.

Me: listens to horrendous true crime stories on the daily, unbothered Caitlin: they then stabbed the whale in the heart and lungs Me: uncontrollable sobbing.

"But this is the Essex. Things can always get worse. It's time for murder" really got me XD Timestamp 28:00

Those poor whales they’re such intelligent and beautiful creatures.

I am a huge whaling nerd and I always have trouble grasping the fact that most people are sane and probably don't know this stuff. You got all the odd little details that I have gathered, 10/10 video

This is a fascinating story and thanks for uploading it. It must be said though that the "real Moby Dick" was in fact a different whale, named "Mocha Dick", an aggressive albino sperm whale that survived dozens of attacks before being killed while trying to rescue a female. The Essex story inspired the novel but the name and whale were based on Mocha Dick.

Being scared of actual sea monster is understandable.

The Heart of the Sea is the book you want

As the child of Yankee parents, and whalers in my ancestry (sorry to say) on my mother's side...I regret to inform you that your understanding of a "Nantucket sleigh ride" is a tad off the mark. Yes, the whale would attempt to get away, and the whale boat would get towed on a wild ride. However, the "sleigh ride" was much more dire. In this case, in its escape attempt, the whale would sound (which means to dive), and the whaleboat would be pulled under with all its crew. If they were unable to cut the line in time, that was the end of them. I am very familiar with the quote of, "A dead whale or a stove boat." It is emblazoned on the statue of a whaler in front of the New Bedford, MA whaling museum, which I visited with my parents several times in my youth.

That is not the boat i imagined while reading Moby D. That makes the entire book like 40 times more terrifying.

I want “and we haven’t even gotten to the cannibalism yet!” on a t-shirt.

love that she's afraid of whales but casually drive a body across the country by herself 😂

your honor, the whale would like to plead self defense

I come back to these videos often. Because even though the stories are morbid and terrifying, Caitlin tells them so well with great humour that I could listen to them dozens of times.

One of the first rules for survival if you find yourself stranded at sea: If you find land where there's food and water? Stay put! Just staying there increases your survival chances significantly.

“Tortoises are flying everywhere.” Aw man, I hate when that happens.

I wasn't even that entirely grossed out by the cannibalism thing until I realized they didn't have fires and had to eat them raw.

To my recollection, the ship was covered in excess of the whale oil they were collecting and it is theorized the whale that attacked they most likely thought it was another whale plus it was mating season.

The three guys who stayed on the island were smart no matter how you look at it. An island with fresh water, possible fish and other sea creatures and I am sure they were starting to realize what would happen if they didn’t stay.

16:31 Why do I feel like the whale was thinking “ my name is indigo Montoya , you killed my family. Prepare to die”

I’m studying marine biology and I am so appreciative that you put an emphasis on how important whales are! Most people don’t realise how important they are for our survival! Also they are just so beautiful 🥰🐋

What I learned today: when eating a starved man, crack the bones open and eat the marrow.

The irony is they avoided safe havens because they FEARED cannibalism.

Things Caitlin is afraid of: - Underwater Caves - Whales I'm sensing a pattern

I don't exactly consider myself superstitious or anything, but it's such a strange coincidence that the whale attacked them after they set that island ablaze.

“Have you thanked your whale poop today” *party air horn*

I thought the story was interestimg and well told the humor was outstanding.I'm black 77 years old and injoyed every minute,Gus Jenkins!

Cetaceans are fascinating critters. It's been said that whales could have intellegence on par with humans and Sperm whales have exibited vengeful behavior, picking the harpooner out of a whaleboat, when they could easily just crash right through the boat, turning it to toothpicks. (all while sporting a furrowed brow, displaying thier displeasure at being chased)

Caitlin- I'm terrified of whales Also Caitlin- Save the whales! Also also Caitlin- Listen to this awesome, horrifying tale of whaling! A true queen.

George Pollard Jr. was said to lock himself in his house and fast every year on the anniversary of the tragedy in honor of his crew mates. He did this until he died.

Lesson Learned: If you're starving and have to resort to cannibalism, make sure to suck out the marrow.

This was the best told story of the Essex and Moby Dick I’ve ever encountered. I have read Moby Dick numerous times and was familiar with the real story of the Essex and her doomed fate. This rendition with its in-depth accounting of the race relations aboard the ship and the in-depth look at the whaling industry at the time, all the historical tidbits and cuts of Katie actually being in Nantucket at the whaling museum there and the museum in Hawaii really gave the viewer a first person feel of her accuracy of history. Not to mention all the cool organizations that proceeds she gets will go to ie the orca research and Native American Covid relief fund really made this an amazing, interesting and worthwhile watch here on RU-vid. I was already a Subscriber but this video alone reaffirms my original subscription and made me want to watch more and more of her incredible videos. Not to mention the comic relief was top notch. I am just enamored with her historical accuracy, the on scene cuts to Nantucket, the truth about how early Americans decimated the Wampanoag inhabitants original land of Nantucket and the subsequent decimation of the whale population in and around Nantucket waters. I am just gushing at all the accurate historical information and no-filter realism this video provides.

she's afraid of whales, but is raising funds to help them, respect to you :D

So, I was on a plane once, sitting next to a woman who was reading "In the heart of the sea" and I said, "Pretty weird huh, how they all become cannibals in the end." She gave me a weird look. She was reading a romance novel.

I read "Moby Dick" after college and before marriage and family, while I thought I was some sort of intellectual or something. It was actually a great read, given that there was no test at the end.

So they resorted to cannibalism because they were scared of cannibalism.

Hi. 2023 here, and about that Orca's never knowingly attacking human vessels thing...

Caitlin: and so after causing the extinction of an entire species of tortois the ship was capsized by a vengeful whale Me: look at god

Man if this was the type of stuff history teachers taught, and in this way, i'd listen all day every day.

Fun fact: the whale was saved by vegetable oil. The last thing we used whale oil for was cooking. Crude oil (and it's refined product) had taken over many whale oil's niches. Cooking oil was the last thing we used it for. When vegetable oil became a thing, combined with the lack of whales to hunt, whaling became utterly unprofitable and stopped in most of the world.

Ask a mortician... A good story teller, and very entertaining with all the asides. Well done. Jack...

There's a movie from 2015 called "In the heart of the Sea" where some of these events were accurately depicted (including the cannibalism part)

"and we haven't even gotten to the cannibalism yet" may just be my new favorite phrase ever. I'm going to sprinkle that into every conversation possible!

Caitlin: "...and instead of super Nintendo, he ate you." Me: go on..

"You can't even get your own childhood trauma right" "It's a beautiful day to enter the bowels of hell and face your fears" If it makes you feel better I was terrified of a statue of a bee at my local museum, it was about 2 feet long, and scared the ever living crap out of me. Seeing it as an adult is still terrifying... I have no clue why because I'm not scared of bees

My great great great grandfather was on the Essex. He was Owen Chase, the first mate on the ship. We still have family on Nantucket and Tuckernuck. We’re also related to the Coffins. Man were my ancestors fucked up.

Ahhh... that explains a lot! As a decendant of Capt. George Pollard (totally unaware of the cannibal thing thank you) and as a decendant of a survivor of the later ill fated Donner party I'm beginning to think it's best to go camping alone. 😅 Loved your video. It was enlightening to say the least. 🎉👍

I’m sorry but spermaceti sounds like a pasta noodle shape 😂😫

"Better to sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunk Christian." Herman Melville, Moby-Dick He probably knew both in real life.

Spermaceti sounds like a pasta dish I mever want to try

Note to self: eat the bone marrow in life-or-death cannibalism scenario.

I been putting off watching this video for more than a year now. I'm glad I came back to it. Caitlin your work is second to none!

I just wanna point out how the historical record of the black sailors was "they died and were eaten." And the record of the white men were these detailed accounts of their deaths, and the sorrow everyone felt.

This is Gilligan's Island written by Edgar Allen Poe.

When you destroy a islands natural ecosystem and then proceed to have Mother Nature destroy your life

My boyfriend and I started watching "The Midnight Gospel" on NetFlix and I got excited because he pointed out that you were one of the characters talking about death as Death in the episode when he saw your name as a credit. Ahhh I stan! 💖

My third great grandmother owned a boarding house in New Bedford near what is now the whaling museum. Her husband, my third great grandfather, had a photography business. Her boarding house became a very popular place for the elite to visit for dinner. She usually had three times as many people for dinner than she had overnight guests. Among her frequent guests were Samuel Clemons and Herman Melville. I have unpublished photos of each visiting my 3rd great grandmother for dinner. I am a huge fan of both authors. A great many people were involved in whaling. While Nantucket was a busy whaling port, New Bedford was the Whaling capital. Whaling was actually conducted throughout the New England coast. Oh and Nickerson and Chase were relatives of mine. Whaling of course is banned in most oceans but you can still see whales fairly close up by going on a whale watching tour. The best location in New England waters is Stellwagen Bank off the coast of Provincetown. I strongly recommend going on a tour based out of Provincetown. Make your reservation in advance and get into the parking lot before 7 am though as Provincetown in summer is impossible to find parking at, especially weekends. I live near a harbor in Florida now. I get the privilege of seeing whales up close almost daily from October through March every year. In warmer months I have to go out to the beach to see them which is three miles away. Little known fact: Whaling began as a result of indigenous people finding beached whales and harvesting from their corpses. This evolved into going out in crude boats to tow in dead whales floating in the water which in turn evolved in not waiting for them to die on their own. Little known fact #2: Within the last few years living whales have been discovered that were born before Herman Melville was born. He was born in 1819. One whale a few years ago was found with a harpoon stuck in it that was estimated to have been nearly 200 years old. Whales are believed to have very good memories. While there are few humans alive in the United States who remember when we had a whaling industry, many whales in the world's oceans remember when tall ships chased them and killed their friends and relatives. Despite this whales generally are gentle around humans when they have every reason not to be.