Essex summary
Learn about the Essex, the American whaling ship that sank in 1820 and inspired Melville’s Moby Dick
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Essex.
whaling Summary
Whaling, the hunting of whales for food and oil. Whaling was once conducted around the world by seafaring nations in pursuit of the giant animals that seemed as limitless as the oceans in which they swam. However, since the mid-20th century, when whale populations began to drop catastrophically,
ship Summary
Ship, any large floating vessel capable of crossing open waters, as opposed to a boat, which is generally a smaller craft. The term formerly was applied to sailing vessels having three or more masts; in modern times it usually denotes a vessel of more than 500 tons of displacement. Submersible