The

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

''Globe'', of

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

, was launched in 1815. She made three whaling voyages and then in 1824, on her fourth, her crew mutinied, killing their officers. Eventually most of the mutineers were killed or captured and the vessel herself was back in Nantucket in her owners' hands. She continued to whale until about 1828. She was broken up circa 1830.

Early career

''Globe'' made three whaling voyages (1815–18, 1818–21, and 1821–22), under Captain

George Washington Gardner The Gardner family were a group of whalers operating out of Nantucket, Massachusetts, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Some members of the family gained wider exposure due to their discovery of various islands in the Pacific Ocean. ...

. 1st whaling voyage (1815–1818): On this voyage she became the first vessel to return with 2000 barrels of oil. ''Globe'' sailed from Nantucket on 4 October 1815, bound for the Pacific. She returned on 1 January 1818 with 1890 barrels of

sperm oil Sperm oil is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is traditionally called an " ...

and 125 barrels of whale oil. 2nd whaling voyage (1818–1820): Captain Gardner sailed from Nantucket on 3 March 1818, bound for the Pacific. ''Globe'' returned on 29 May 1820 with 2090 barrels of sperm oil. 3rd whaling voyage (1820–1822): Captain George W. Gardner sailed from Nantucket on 9 August 1820, bound for the Pacific. The vessel called at

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

on 21 April 1821 and anchored at Wyteetee Bay. The vessel called at Honolulu again from 12 to 28 November 1821. While ashore the crew helped to extinguish a fire. ''Globe'' returned to Nantucket on 3 May 1822 with only 250 barrels of sperm oil. On his return, Captain Gardner transferred to the newly built and larger whaler ''Maria'' and thus was not her master on ''Globe''s fourth voyage.

4th whaling voyage (1822–1824): the ''Globe'' Mutiny

On 22 December 1822, ''Globe'', with a complement of 21 men under the command of Captain Thomas Worth, set sail on a whaling expedition to the Pacific. After finding success in the "off Japan" whaling grounds ''Globe'' arrived in

for provisioning. According to testimony, "Six men ran away in the

Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

, and one was discharged." Captain Worth took on seven new crew, four of whom (Silas Payne, John Oliver, William Humphries and Joseph Thomas) played major roles in the

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

. Samuel B. Comstock, a 22-year-old

boatsteerer A boatsteerer was a position on a nineteenth-century whaleship. One of the most responsible members of the crew, his duty was to pull the forward oar of a whaleboat until reaching striking distance of a whale. He then would harpoon the whale with a ...

(harpooner), was the instigator of the mutiny, which occurred on 26 January 1824, near

Fanning Island Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island, is an atoll that is part of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean and part of Kiribati. The land area is , and the population in 2015 was 2,315. The maximum elevation is about 3 m (10 f ...

, 900 miles south of the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. The mutineers killed Captain Worth and three other officers, plus Eliza William of Edgartown, MA. Soon after William Humphries, one of the mutineers, was accused of plotting to take the ship; a

kangaroo court A kangaroo court is a court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides, and is typically convened ad hoc. A kangaroo court may ignore due process and come ...

of the mutineers tried him and, finding him guilty, hanged him.James A. Michener & A. Grove Day, ''The Globe Mutineers'', in ''Rascals in Paradise'', London: Secker & Warburg 1957 On 14 February the mutineers brought ''Globe'' to

Mili Atoll Mili Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 92 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately southeast of Arno Atoll, Arno. Its to ...

. Comstock, the leader of the mutiny, had ambitions of creating his own kingdom on Mili Atoll. The other mutineers suspected that Comstock intended to destroy ''Globe'' and kill the rest of crew. Payne and Oliver and two others shot Comstock. In an atmosphere of distrust existing between the mutineers, Payne and Oliver made an error in judgment by sending Gilbert Smith, a boatsteerer, to secure ''Globe''. Smith and five other crew cut the anchor cable and set sail, eventually arriving at Valparaiso,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, where they were brought into custody by the American consul, Michael Hogan. ''Globe'', under Captain King, was fitted out and returned to Nantucket, with Gilbert Smith as master. ''Globe'' arrived back in port on 14 November 1824 with 372 barrels of sperm oil. Payne and Oliver attempted to intimidate the islanders, but the islanders massacred most of the remaining mutineers. Out of nine castaways on Mili Atoll, only Cyrus M. Hussey and William Lay survived. The schooner , commanded by Lieutenant Commander

John Percival John Percival (3 April 1779 – 7 September 1862), known as Mad Jack Percival, was a celebrated officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812, the campaign against West Indies pirates, and the Mexican–Amer ...

, rescued them on 25 November 1825.

Later career and fate

''Globe''s fifth whaling voyage took place between 1825 and 1828, and yielded 2105 barrels of oil. She was then sold, transferred to Buenos Ayres, and broken up c. 1830.

Citations

References

* * * * * *

External links