Maritime Disasters & Survival at Sea Archives

The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex: The Real Disaster That Inspired Moby-Dick

Raymond on October 20, 2026

In 1820, a sperm whale the size of the ship itself turned and rammed the Nantucket whaleship Essex until it sank, stranding twenty men thousands of miles from land. What they did to stay alive gave Herman Melville the ending he could never bring himself to write.

The Vasa: The Mighty Warship That Sank Minutes Into Its Maiden Voyage

Raymond on October 10, 2026

It was the most powerful warship Sweden had ever built, gilded from stem to stern to announce an empire. On a calm August afternoon in 1628 it sailed barely a thousand yards before a gentle gust laid it on its side and sent it to the bottom of Stockholm harbor.