- Though it may seem modern, whales have been sinking boats since at least the 1800's.
- In 1820, a sperm whale sank a whaling boat. The lifeboats were later attacked by what may have been orcas.
A pod of orcas has been terrorizing yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar for the last several years. The killer whales have sunk several boats and interacted with or damaged hundreds more.
The "orca uprising," as some have jokingly called it, isn't necessarily new, however. In fact, killer whales may have been key characters in the infamous incident that inspired Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby-Dick."
"Moby-Dick" is inspired by a sperm whale, not a killer whale, sinking the whaling boat "Essex" in 1820. But what happened after the sinking? That story isn't as well-known.
According to Nathaniel Philbrick's book "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex," the crew of the sinking ship escaped to lifeboats. But their troubles had just begun. Killer whales later attempted to sink one of the small boats.
It's worth noting that other reports have said the sailors were unsure what kind of animal attacked the lifeboat. It could have been an orca or some other large marine animal. But the story sounds eerily similar to the orcas that have been ripping off boat rudders in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Philbrick's book went on to win the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2000 and was adapted into a 2015 movie "In the Heart of the Sea," starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, and Cillian Murphy.
The tragic story that inspired "Moby Dick"
Essex took off from Nantucket on August 12, 1819.
Whales were hunted during this period for oil that could be used in burning lamps, wax that could be used in making candles, and ambergris, which was used in perfume, according to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
In November of 1820, the ship was rammed by an 85-foot sperm whale until it sank. All 20 of the sailors that manned the ship were left to drift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in three 20-foot whaling boats, without adequate provisions, per Philbrick's book.
From there, the sailors had to fight off the conditions of the open ocean and follow up attacks by possible orca whales. Eventually, the crew resorted to cannibalism to stay alive, according to the Smithsonian.
No end in sight for sailors
Hundreds of incidents between humans and the orca pod in the Strait of Gibraltar have occurred over the last three years, according to the Cruising Association, with no end in immediate sight.
Most recently, orcas targeted a Polish yacht for 45 minutes and caused major damage to the vessel. Crew members of the "Grazie Mamma II" were safe, but the boat eventually sank after arriving at a Moroccan port.
It isn't clear exactly why the orcas are adamant about targeting boats, but researchers previously told Business Insider that it's likely that the whales are using the boats to socialize and play.
Even if the whales don't have dark intentions when ramming into boats, their presence is frustrating for sailors experiencing property damage at the hands of these marine mammals.
In response, those sailing across the Mediterranean strait have turned to a variety of methods, like creating sandstorms, speeding off, and "playing dead," to deter the orcas. The methods are met with mixed success.
A group of sailors recently went viral for using heavy metal music to scare away orcas — although the method proved to be a failure for them.
Scientists, however, are still searching for the answer to what exactly is going on in the Strait of Gibraltar and what can be done about it. Until then, the concern is whether or not sailors will take retaliatory measures that ultimately harm the orcas.
"If we become so frustrated with their behavior that we think they don't deserve to be protected anymore, then it is a risk for the whales," Hanne Strager, a Danish biologist and whale researcher, previously told Business Insider, noting the orca population near the Iberian Peninsula is severely endangered.
The novel that resurfaced the story of the Essex
Philbrick's book is a historical recount of what happened to the real sailors that inspired Melville's tale.
From the research he did, Philbrick told The New York Times that "the Essex was absolutely crucial to Melville's conception of the novel."
Melville was said to have come across the story of the Essex in 1840 from Owen Chase's book, ''Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex.''
Eventually, after "Moby-Dick" was published, Melville met the former captain of the Essex, George Pollard Jr., when he was visiting Nantucket.
After the horrific events of the Essex, Pollard went on to live a reclusive life, much like Melville himself, who was only recognized for his novel posthumously, according to the Smithsonian.