Chapter 1 Summary

Thomas Nickerson was fourteen years old when he first stepped onto the Essex, seeing the vessel as an opportunity. In July of 1819, the ship was one of seventy Nantucket whaleships in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Essex was old for a whaleship and small, 87 feet long and 238 tons, but she was regarded as a lucky ship. George Pollard, Jr. had recently taken over as captain and Owen Chase was moved up to first mate. Although the Essex was Nickerson's first ship, he had long been preparing for his first journey out to sea.

With whale oil prices climbing, Nantucket was becoming a rich town. About seven thousand people lived in the town at this time. In July 1819, as the Essex was being repaired and outfitted for its next journey, a comet was sighted. The appearance of a comet was said to mean...