The Astonishing True Story Behind ‘In the Heart of the Sea’, Explained

Legendary Hollywood director Ron Howard helmed the riveting historical drama In the Heart of the Sea, which touts a star-studded cast of cinema’s finest performers, led by Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, and Cillian Murphy, with the big-budget extravaganza chronicling the harrowing true story of the Essex whaling ship, which tragically sunk in 1820 after it was viciously attacked by a mammoth sperm whale 2,000 nautical miles from the coast of South America. Of the 20 men in the crew, only eight survived being stranded on both land and sea.

The sinking of Essex and first mate Owen Chase’s gripping personal account of the horrific ordeal (which he published in 1821) went on to inspire one of the literary world’s most revered masterpieces: Herman Melville’s epic classic Moby-Dick. Though Howard’s film failed to dominate the box office upon its release, it still captures the terror and uncertainty the Essex crew members faced while helping lead to Melville’s timeless novel; let’s explore the true story behind In the Heart of the Sea.

Ron Howard’s Sweeping Historical Drama

Decorated filmmaker Ron Howard enlisted the talents of a dazzling ensemble cast for his gripping historical drama In the Heart of the Sea, with Hollywood heavy hitters Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Holland headlining the silver-screen adaptation of the Nathaniel Philbrick non-fiction book that recounts the events surrounding the sinking of the Essex whaling ship. Hemsworth appears as veteran whaler and first mate Owen Chase, who joins the inexperienced Captain George Pollard aboard the Essex in 1820 along with 14-year-old cabin boy Thomas Nickerson (Holland) and second mate Matthew Joy (Murphy).

While aboard the New England vessel, the determined crew find themselves in the fight of their lives when they are terrorized by a behemoth sperm whale, which causes the Essex to sink and forces the men to abandon ship and find refuge at the uninhabited Henderson Island. Stranded with limited food and resources, they faced unfathomable horrors in an effort to stay alive, with the notorious maritime disaster ultimately serving as inspiration for Herman Melville’s literary masterpiece Moby-Dick.

Despite its stacked ensemble cast and masterful direction of Howard, In the Heart of the Sea failed to make a splash at the box office and proved to be a commercial failure, grossing just $94.3 million against its hefty $100 million budget while garnering lackluster reviews from critics. Audiences who did see the captivating picture awarded it a solid B+ CinemaScore and many were blown away by its stunning visuals and harrowing storytelling, a premise that proved to be far more real than moviegoers may have realized.

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The Shocking True Story of the Essex Sinking

The Essex was a whaling ship which was first launched from Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1799 before embarking upon its ill-fated voyage in August 1819 under the leadership of 29-year-old Captain George Pollard and his seasoned first mate Owen Chase. The vessel had previously completed six successful whaling expeditions that proved to be lucrative, and its fateful final journey was expected to take two-and-a-half years as the crew headed for the waters off the west coast of South America. Essex nearly sank just a few days into its voyage after being hit by a squall, though it continued off after suffering some minor damage.

After several months at sea and having killed enough whales to produce 450 barrels of oil, Pollard decided to change course and instead set sail off the Peruvian coast when the captain of the Aurora told him about a fruitful whaling ground. On November 20, 1820, Essex was attacked by a massive sperm whale that had been behaving strangely, having laid motionless on the surface of the water before aggressively ramming into the ship. Despite the crew’s efforts to harpoon the whale, it attacked again and crushed the bow, thus causing Essex to begin sinking and the men to abandon the vessel.

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The 20-man crew were forced to board three whaleboats with the little food and supplies they could grab and spent a month at sea before finally washing up on the uninhabited Henderson Island. Three of the ship’s members opted to stay behind on the island in hopes of one day being rescued, while the remaining 17 chose to take to the waters yet again in hopes of finding the coast of South America. The men were forced to resort to cannibalism while out at sea and, as they suffered from severe exposure as well as dehydration and starvation and were desperate to survive.

The remaining crew were rescued when Chase’s whaleboat was spotted and saved by the British ship Indian; only five of the 17 men (including Chase, Pollard, and Nickerson) had survived at sea while the three on Henderson Island were also saved. Both Chase and Nickerson wrote about their treacherous experience, with the first mate’s account of the ordeal Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex going on to directly inspire author Norman Melville’s classic epic novel Moby-Dick.

Stream In the Heart of the Sea on Netflix