Ishmael (Moby-Dick) morning Ishmael and Queequeg head for Nantucket. Ishmael signs up for a voyage on the whaler "Pequod", under Captain Ahab. Ahab is obsessed by the white whale, Moby Dick, who on a previous voyage has severed his leg. In his quest for revenge Ahab has lost all sense of responsibility, and when the whale sinks the ship, all crewmembers drown, with the exception of Ishmael: “And I only am escaped alone to tell thee” (Job) says the epigraph. Ishmael keeps himself afloat on a coffin until he is picked up by another whaling ship, the "Rachel". The name Ishmael is
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