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Story summary
- A sperm whale rammed the U.S. whaleship Essex, causing it to sink.
- Thomas Nickerson, 15, witnessed the strike on 20 November 1820 and warned first mate Owen Chase.
- Recent research validates Chase’s 1820 theory that a sperm whale head can exert up to 1,200 kN, enough to sink ships.
- Alec Burslem filmed a juvenile head-butting a whale near the Balearic Islands, measuring a 460 kN impact.