Just finished watching In the Heart of the Sea the story behind the writing of Herman Melville's Moby Dick. While the film follows the story of the crew of the Whaling Ship Essex out of Nantucket fairly closely it does take a few liberties with the time line and how a sailing ship is handled.
Based on the manuscript that was found in 1960 in the attic of one of the survivors "The Loss of the Ship "Essex" Sunk by a Whale and the Ordeal of the Crew in Open Boats" by Thomas Nickerson.
The "chase" of the whaleboats by the sperm whale is pure phantasy but makes good drama on screen, and the rush to finish the story in that the boats of Owen Chase and Captain Pollard were rescued by different ships at different times rather than at the same time
Coincidently the whaling ship Ann Alexander was struck, capsized, and sunk by a sperm whale at about the same time as Moby Dick was released.
The Essex is also the inspiration of the tune/album Nantucket Sleigh Ride by Mountain in remembrance of Owen Coffin (Henry in the film) he was the cousin of Captain Pollard.
