Essex whaling ship model kit from manufacturer Occre
History of the original:
The story of the Essex is one of the most harrowing episodes in American whaling history and later inspired Herman Melville to write parts of his novel Moby-Dick. The ship, a whaler from Nantucket, was built in 1799 and set sail on August 12, 1819, under Captain George Pollard Jr. with a crew of about twenty men. Their destination was a multi-year voyage to the Pacific Ocean to hunt sperm whales and extract their oil. The voyage initially went as planned, but on November 20, 1820, about 3,700 kilometers west of the South American coast, the unimaginable happened: an unusually large sperm whale attacked the ship. It rammed the Essex once, disappeared briefly, and then returned with full force to break through the bow a second time. The damage was so severe that the ship sank within a few hours.
The crew was only able to save themselves in three open whaling boats, with little provisions and hardly any drinking water. Instead of sailing to the comparatively nearby Marquesas or Society Islands, they decided to take the long, risky route to South America for fear of the supposedly dangerous natives. This decision led them on a deadly odyssey. Hunger, thirst, sun, and storms soon claimed the first victims. In order to survive, the men eventually resorted to cannibalism, first eating the bodies of the deceased and, in a desperate situation, even deciding to draw lots to determine who would be sacrificed to keep the others alive.
On February 18, 1821, First Mate Owen Chase and two other men were rescued from the ship Indian. A few days later, another group of survivors was found, including Captain Pollard. Of the original twenty men, only eight had survived. Shortly after his rescue, Chase wrote a report entitled Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex, which was published in 1821. Melville himself learned of the story in 1841 when he met one of the survivors, Thomas Nickerson. Decades later, Nickerson also wrote his own account, which was not rediscovered until 1980. Thus, the disaster of the Essex remained not only a harrowing chapter in maritime history, but also an important literary influence on one of the most famous works of the 19th century.
Description of the kit:
2848 parts are required to build the model, all of which are included in the kit. Various types of wood and precision-cut components enable accurate assembly and ensure a very realistic, detailed appearance. Only selected woods are used for the double planking. The set includes ready-made sails, all fittings, rigging and attachments, sorted by assembly groups in a clear box. The kit includes German assembly instructions and a small model stand with a name plaque.
Who is the kit suitable for?
The model is well suited for model builders with some experience in ship model building.
What else is needed?
Paints, adhesives, and tools are required and can be found in our product range.
What do the assembly instructions look like?
The instruction booklet consists of a colorful, well-illustrated, step-by-step guide with 42 pages. The German translation of the individual construction stages is provided on a separate sheet.
A construction plan and parts lists are included. The rigging is described in detail and in an easy-to-understand manner.
In addition, the manufacturer Occre provides 69 short video tutorials on its YouTube channel specifically for building the Essex.
Languages: German, English, Italian, Spanish
The building instructions are available for download on the manufacturer's website.
Technical data:
Scale 1:60
Length 735 mm
Width 225 mm
Height 552 mm
Construction time: 350 hours
Number of parts: 2848
