Chained to a Corpse: The Lie That Won WWII

Chained to a Corpse: The Lie That Won WWII

On February 6, 1821, four starving men drifted in the Pacific on a wrecked whaling ship. The youngest, eighteen-year-old Owen Coffin, asked a question that sailors had posed for centuries, a custom for when all other hope was lost. What happened next became one of maritime history's most disturbing true events, inspiring Herman Melville's novel.

In this episode, we delve into the harrowing true story of the Essex, a Nantucket whaling vessel, and its crew's desperate struggle for survival after a catastrophic collision with a sperm whale. We explore the grim custom of "the delicate question" and the impossible choices faced by Captain George Pollard and his cousin, Owen Coffin, when starvation pushed them to the brink.

Event: The Essex whaling ship disaster Date: November 1820 (sinking), February 6, 1821 (the question) Location: Pacific Ocean People: Owen Coffin, George Pollard, Charles Ship: The Essex

- The Essex was a whaling vessel from Nantucket, Massachusetts, supplying whale oil in the early 1800s. - The ship sank in November 1820 after colliding with a sperm whale. - By February 6, 1821, only four survivors remained in one of the small boats, having drifted for roughly three months. - Owen Coffin, 18, proposed drawing lots to decide who would die so the others could eat. - Owen drew the short strip of paper, sentencing himself to death, and was shot by Charles.

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