The whaling ship Essex, a vessel from Nantucket, Massachusetts, embarked on a whaling voyage in the early 1820s but met a dramatic fate in the South Pacific. While hunting sperm whales, the crew encountered a notably large male sperm whale, around 80 tons. As the crew attempted to capture the whale, it retaliated fiercely, ramming the ship with enough force to breach its side and cause it to sink. The attack occurred approximately 3,200 kilometers from the coast of South America, a considerable distance from any immediate help or safe harbor.

Following the sinking, the crew faced dire conditions, taking to lifeboats and battling starvation, exposure, and despair. The whale's aggressive defense of its territory and its sheer size contributed significantly to the loss of the Essex, which was a tragic climax in the lucrative but dangerous whaling industry of the time. Some crew members resorted to harrowing survival tactics, including cannibalism, as they drifted in the open ocean.

The incident garnered public interest, particularly due to its dramatic nature and the subsequent survival saga of the crew. Herman Melville, inspired by the tale, would later draw upon the themes of revenge and the struggle against nature in his iconic work, Moby-Dick. The Essex story highlighted the risks of whaling voyages and the unpredictability of marine life, contributing to evolving perceptions of humanity's relationship with nature.