Thar she blows

“It’s not down on any map. True places never are”
Moby Dick, Hermann Melville

Galapagos Miscellany

Some people think that the Galápagos Islands, particularly the thriving waters of the Bolívar Channel, where sperm whales can still be seen today, served as a significant source of inspiration for Melville when he wrote the renowned novel, Moby Dick.

An enraged sperm whale destroyed the “Whaleship Essex” in 1820 while on a harpooning rampage miles away from those same waters, bringing the majority of the whaling crew to a terrible end.

Due to his friendship with William Chase, the son of Owen Chase, one of the few survivors of the mishap, Melville was well-versed in the story.

Ten years after Melville arrived at one of the most significant vantage points from which the whaling industry extended its ruthless tendrils over the Pacific, the Galápagos Islands, Moby Dick was published. He expanded on his obsession with the archipelago in his highly regarded book of “sketches,” The Encantadas (1854).

Moby Dick is the quintessential example of whaling poetry. The novel tells the story of the struggle between Man (represented by a nearly mythical crew of sailors from all possible backgrounds) and the forces of Nature it seeks to subdue (personified by the Leviathan itself, the great white whale that eventually will kill them all except for the narrator, who lives to tell the tale), is considered the pinnacle of literature.

One of the world’s most sought-after whaling stations was the Galápagos Islands. As the pirate presence diminished, whaling evolved into one of the most lucrative methods of plundering the world’s waters. Whales were killed for their blubber for nearly a century in the Pacific, with British Captain James Colnett seeing the Galápagos as the ideal location for the industry.

In 1812, competition came from the United States when Captain David Porter infamously took control of many British ships, thereby “turning the tables” and elevating New England communities such as Nantucket and New Bedford to the forefront of global commerce.

Whole chapters in Moby Dick are devoted to the scientific documentation of the intricate details of whaling, a biological description of the whales, and each stage of the process of using the whales’ anatomy for financial gain. In “Galapagos Miscellany,” one of the most brutal exploitations in history is seen in a fascinating and almost moralistic light by the book’s dramatic conclusion, in which the legendary Moby Dick emerges triumphant: man is petty, and nature will ultimately triumph.

The unclaimed islands of the Galápagos have always been left open to anybody who dares to visit them. They waited for explorers to arrive in the middle of the ocean to pursue their egotistical, frequently trivial, and intimate desires.

The situation has changed as of late. The international society of the Galápagos no longer wants to battle nature to an unavoidable loss, as Captain Ahab did in Moby Dick. Maybe that’s the ironic turn of events Melville highlights in his widely read novel. Maybe Melville was a lot more ahead of his period than we realize.

Perhaps he’s suggesting that this “war” is pointless and that we should communicate with nature instead of using violence and devastation. Regardless, “Galapagos Miscellany” highlights how Moby Dick does indeed foreshadow the end of the American whaling business. When the north Pacific Seas froze in 1871, the leading whaling ports of New England were forced to permanently stop operations due to a loss of millions of dollars and the discovery of kerosene as a lighting fluid.

Whale refuge

One of the most valuable whale sanctuaries in the world, the Galápagos Islands are home to about 15 different species of whales, including sperm, minke, humpback, bryde, and great blue whales, which can all be found throughout the Galápagos Marine Reserve. In “Galapagos Miscellany,” it’s noted that sharks and rays are also varied and somewhat familiar; seeing any of these natural marvels, mainly while snorkeling, is an experience not to be forgotten.

Sea Mail

Aiming to build a whaling station, James Colnett, the captain of the HMS Rattler, was dispatched to explore the Pacific Ocean. According to Colnett’s fieldwork, the Galápagos Islands served as a tactical pause. He established a postal service for marine travelers in Floreana (Post Office Bay) as one of his first actions after arriving in the Galápagos. This allowed seamen to pick up mail from other seafarers on their way home.

Porter’s Dozen

Captain David Porter was among the most notable naval leaders during the War of 1812 between the United States and the British Empire. Using his battleship, the US Essex, he captured 12 British whaling ships in and near the Galápagos archipelago. His work was pivotal in establishing the Galápagos Islands as a bastion for the American whaling industry.