| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Globe, of Nantucket |
| Owner: | C. Mitchell, & Co. |
| Launched: | 1815 [1] |
| Out of service: | 1828 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Whaleship |
The whaleship Globe, of Nantucket, Massachusetts, was active between 1815 and 1828.
Contents |
On December 22, 1822, Globe, with a complement of 21 men under the command of Captain Thomas Worth, set sail on a whaling expedition to the Pacific. After finding success in the "off Japan" whaling grounds the Globe arrived in Honolulu for provisioning. According to testimony, "Six men ran away in the Sandwich Islands, and one was discharged."[2]
Captain Worth took on seven new crew, four of whom (Silas Payne, John Oliver, William Humphries and Joseph Thomas) played major roles in the mutiny. Samuel B. Comstock, a 22 year old boatsteerer (harpooner), was the instigator of the mutiny, which occurred on January 26, 1824, near Fanning Island, 900 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands. Captain Worth, and three other officers were killed. Soon after William Humphries, one of the mutineers, was accused of plotting to take the ship and was tried by a kangaroo court of the mutineers and hung.[3]
On 14 February 1824, Globe was brought to Mili Atoll by her mutinous crew. Comstock, the leader of the mutiny, had ambitions of creating his own kingdom on Mili Atoll. The other mutineers suspected that Comstock intended to destroy the Globe and kill the rest of crew.[4]
Payne and Oliver and two others shot Comstock. In an atmosphere of distrust existing between the mutineers, Payne and Oliver made an error in judgment of sending Gilbert Smith, a boatsteerer, to secure the Globe. Smith and five other crew cut the anchor cable and set sail, eventually arriving at Valparaiso, Chile, where they were brought into custody by the American consul, Michael Hogan. The Globe, under Captain King, was fitted out and returned to Nantucket, with Gilbert Smith as master, arriving in November 1824.[5]
Payne and Oliver attempted to intimidate the islanders, however the islander massacred most of the remaining mutineers. Out of nine castaways on Mili Atoll, only Cyrus M. Hussey and William Lay survived. They were rescued on 21 November 1825 by U.S. schooner Dolphin, commanded by Lieut. Com. John Percival.[2]