Captain Ahab Captain Ahab Captain Ahab is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" (1851). He is the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship "Pequod". On a previous voyage, the white whale Moby Dick bit off Ahab's leg, and he now wears a prosthetic leg made out of whalebone. The whaling voyage of the "Pequod" ends up as a hunt for revenge on the whale, as Ahab forces the crew members to support his fanatical mission. When Moby Dick is finally sighted, Ahab's hatred robs him of all caution, and the whale drags Ahab to the bottom of
William Wells (whaling master) to explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith. He retired in 1876. Wells' first command was for the merchant ship "Ann" in 1842; he went on to captain many whaling ships: "Helen" (1844–45), "St George" (1846–49), "Ann" (1850–1853), "Truelove" (1854–1860 and 1866–1867), "Emma" (1861–62), "Diana" (1863), and "Narwhal" (1864). He was one of the last two whaling masters sailing from Hull. William Wells (whaling master) William Wells (1815–1880) was an English whaling master (1844 to 1867), harbour master of Hull, and advisor to explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith. William started his career as an apprentice at the age of 12 in 1827, aboard the