Pequod (Moby-Dick) the ship's affairs to these two." Peleg served as first mate under Ahab on "Pequod" before obtaining his own command, and is responsible for all her whalebone embellishments. The depiction of life aboard the ship was based on Melville's own experiences in whaling (specifically aboard the "Acushnet" in the 1840s) and thus can be taken in many ways as representative of mid-19th-century Nantucket whaling. Pequod (Moby-Dick) Pequod is a fictional 19th-century Nantucket whaling ship that appears in the 1851 novel "Moby-Dick" by American author Herman Melville. "Pequod" and her crew, commanded by Captain Ahab, are central to the story, which,
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