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Final Voyage: A Story of Arctic Disaster and One Fateful Whaling Season
"Peter Nichols has crafted a terrifyingly relevant historical narrative...A terrific read."
-Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In The Heart of the Sea
In 1871, America's last fleet of whaling ships was destroyed in an arctic ice storm. Miraculously, 1,218 men, women and children survived, but the disaster was catastrophic at home.
Oil and Ice is the story of one fateful whaling season that illuminates the unprecedented rise and devastating fall of America's first oil economy, and the fate of today's petroleum industry.
-Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In The Heart of the Sea
In 1871, America's last fleet of whaling ships was destroyed in an arctic ice storm. Miraculously, 1,218 men, women and children survived, but the disaster was catastrophic at home.
Oil and Ice is the story of one fateful whaling season that illuminates the unprecedented rise and devastating fall of America's first oil economy, and the fate of today's petroleum industry.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2009
10 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Peter Nichols
10 books105 followersPeter Nichols is the author of the bestselling novel The Rocks, the nonfiction bestsellers A Voyage for Madmen, Evolution's Captain, and three other books of fiction, memoir, and non-fiction. His novel Voyage to the North Star was nominated for the Dublin IMPAC literary award. His journalism has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has an MFA degree from Antioch University Los Angeles, and has taught creative writing at Georgetown University, Bowdoin College, and New York University in Paris. Before turning to writing full time, he held a 100 ton USCG Ocean Operator’s licence and was a professional yacht delivery skipper for 10 years. He has also worked in advertising in London, as a screenwriter in Los Angeles, a shepherd in Wales. He has sailed alone in a small boat across the Atlantic and is a member of the Explorers Club of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 1, 2013
The full title of the book is “Final Voyage: A Story of Arctic Disaster and One Fateful Whaling Season,” so my expectations were for a story of survival, leadership, human reactions under stress, and perhaps interactions between cultures. There is very little about the title event. The book SHOULD be called, “A history of the rise and fall of the whaling industry in New England. “ Perhaps with different expectations I would have reacted more favorably towards this rambling, disorganized, poorly edited book. Some sections were interesting but there was a feeling that the author simply included everything he had in his files about whaling or Quaker society or the beginning of the oil industry. There was little logical organization – at one point I thought I had put a disk in the wrong order and I wondered if it would have mattered if I HAD chosen to listen to the disks in random order.
There is some good information. I was particularly interested in the “lady ships,” those ships with captains’ wives and families on board. At one point, the author uses the diaries of one or two or the wives, and I would like to hear more about these women and their lives. For a while the author focuses on a boy who was born on a whaling ship and lived on board for much of his life; this was an excellent tool and I would like to have read a whole book with this focus. But in both cases the book soon wanders away. At least it was short.
There is some good information. I was particularly interested in the “lady ships,” those ships with captains’ wives and families on board. At one point, the author uses the diaries of one or two or the wives, and I would like to hear more about these women and their lives. For a while the author focuses on a boy who was born on a whaling ship and lived on board for much of his life; this was an excellent tool and I would like to have read a whole book with this focus. But in both cases the book soon wanders away. At least it was short.
June 4, 2015
I gave up after two-thirds of the way through the book. Perhaps it covers the disaster, perhaps not. It defintely covers a whale of a lot of other whaling information--just not what the title purports.
August 17, 2014
Agreed. The title really is misleading. This is a history book about whalers and Quakers and their fate. Not at all exciting, unless you're into that stuff.
August 10, 2010
Final Voyage is a good book for what it is, but it did not turn out to be at all what I had expected or wanted. I ordered this book because the product description led me to think that it would be an incredible story of personal challenge, sacrifice, and survival in the Arctic. Don't get me wrong, this book has hints of those dimensions, but the book is mainly about the history of the New England whaling industry and the establishment, rise, and economic fall of whaling ports like Nantuckett and New Bedford.
The author sets the stage for the climax of the book in which a fleet of whaling ships is trapped between the encroaching ice pack and shoal waters along Alaska's northwest shore. The setting of the stage, however, takes up what seemed like about 90% of the book, and the actual struggles and events surrounding the trapped fleet and its crews makes up the meager remains of the book.
This book does tell the tale of the rise and fall of the square-rigger whaling industry mainly from the perspective of New England Quakers such as the Howland family. There are also references to accounts of early American religious intolerance and how those events contributed to the story.
The author accurately points out the interplay between the twilight of the whale oil (oyl) industry and the rise of the petroleum industry, and that the whaling industry was already on its way out before this set of tragic events took place.
As a piece of history, historical ecomonics, and even family history of the Howlands I found this to be a somewhat intruiging read, but as an historical tale of Arctic disaster and human endeavor (such as you can find in the amazing telling of the tragic events of Shakelton's ill fated expedition in Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage) I found it sadly lacking.
As a marine biologist I found it notable that the author took neither an apologetic nor a condemning stance on whaling itself (an emotionally charged issue among coastal nations), and perhaps for that reason this book lacked a a strong emotional dimension from which it could have benefitted.
One other thing. I was somewhat disturbed by the author's references to Darwinian theory to the economics of the whaling industry - that smacked of the tired old and outmoded application of Darwinism to social contexts, a.k.a. Social Darwinism of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The mixture of a misplaced set of expectations and the author's lack of emphasis on the actual Arctic disaster and its conclusion leads me to award only 3 stars
The author sets the stage for the climax of the book in which a fleet of whaling ships is trapped between the encroaching ice pack and shoal waters along Alaska's northwest shore. The setting of the stage, however, takes up what seemed like about 90% of the book, and the actual struggles and events surrounding the trapped fleet and its crews makes up the meager remains of the book.
This book does tell the tale of the rise and fall of the square-rigger whaling industry mainly from the perspective of New England Quakers such as the Howland family. There are also references to accounts of early American religious intolerance and how those events contributed to the story.
The author accurately points out the interplay between the twilight of the whale oil (oyl) industry and the rise of the petroleum industry, and that the whaling industry was already on its way out before this set of tragic events took place.
As a piece of history, historical ecomonics, and even family history of the Howlands I found this to be a somewhat intruiging read, but as an historical tale of Arctic disaster and human endeavor (such as you can find in the amazing telling of the tragic events of Shakelton's ill fated expedition in Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage) I found it sadly lacking.
As a marine biologist I found it notable that the author took neither an apologetic nor a condemning stance on whaling itself (an emotionally charged issue among coastal nations), and perhaps for that reason this book lacked a a strong emotional dimension from which it could have benefitted.
One other thing. I was somewhat disturbed by the author's references to Darwinian theory to the economics of the whaling industry - that smacked of the tired old and outmoded application of Darwinism to social contexts, a.k.a. Social Darwinism of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The mixture of a misplaced set of expectations and the author's lack of emphasis on the actual Arctic disaster and its conclusion leads me to award only 3 stars
October 12, 2021
As I grew up in NE and fished commercially out of New Bedford and also Alaska/ Bering Sea , Found this book fascinating from a historical point covering the rise fall of the Whaling industry in New England . People only looking for a thrilling page turner may be disappointed. My after having spent forty plus years off shore see many sea dangers in person with one voyage in 1972 Jigging for Cod , in a 19" skiff lost for five days with three other souls off George Banks, The thriller novels don't ring my bell . History does and this book does it in Spades, A Great Historical and educational Read , Bravo !
January 4, 2026
I had always assumed the industrial revolution ran concurrent with the discovery and production of petroleum oil. Turns out, the gears of the machine age were greased with whale oil, and whaling was a huge business that enriched generations and nearly drove whales extinct. It turns out that petroleum saved the whales.
I also didn't know how the Quakers dominated the American whaling industry. Whole cities were built by Quakers who made incredible amounts of money off whale oil and secondary products made from it.
It was a dangerous business, often deadly. While a few chapters of this book focus on a specific season where the whalers were faced with the decision to abandon ship or die, the real interest in this book for me was the history of the industry and the communities that benefitted so much from it.
I also didn't know how the Quakers dominated the American whaling industry. Whole cities were built by Quakers who made incredible amounts of money off whale oil and secondary products made from it.
It was a dangerous business, often deadly. While a few chapters of this book focus on a specific season where the whalers were faced with the decision to abandon ship or die, the real interest in this book for me was the history of the industry and the communities that benefitted so much from it.
November 21, 2025
I am grateful that a friend sent us his extra copy of this book -- knowing our family's interest in whaling history and proximity to New Bedford. The disaster mentioned in the title was a pivotal event in the decline of the industry, but it would not have been so if it were not for much broader trends in whaling other industries.
In this relatively short work, Nichols tells the tale of the fateful season, the background that made it so important, and the aftermath. As someone who spends a lot of time in whaleboats for recreation, I can say that the nautical aspects of the story also ring quite true. This book is a reminder that as much fun as it can be to row the boats for an hour or two, life in the actual hunt was arduous and immeasurably uncomfortable.
In this relatively short work, Nichols tells the tale of the fateful season, the background that made it so important, and the aftermath. As someone who spends a lot of time in whaleboats for recreation, I can say that the nautical aspects of the story also ring quite true. This book is a reminder that as much fun as it can be to row the boats for an hour or two, life in the actual hunt was arduous and immeasurably uncomfortable.
December 27, 2017
I was very disappointed by this book. After reading Endurance and In the Kingdom of Ice, I was ready for another tale of adventure and survival. What I got was a history of New Bedford whaling and its deep ties to Quakerism. That would have been a great book and I still would have read it but since it was dressed up as daring-do, I finished the book without the pay off I expected.
July 21, 2014
This was the most depressing whaling history book I've ever read, and I own and have read quite a few books about whaling. Like a lot of other people who have reviewed the book here on Goodreads and Amazon, I think the description is a bit misleading. The blurb promises an adventure story of survival a la Nathaniel Philbrick's "In The Heart of the Sea" while in actuality "Final Voyage" is definitely at its heart a history of New Bedford, Quakerism, and the decline of the whaling industry and some of its foremost merchant families. The Arctic disaster of 1971 is slow to build, and when the book does finally describe what happened, it's all over in about a chapter and a half. Not to belittle the extent of the loss of ships in that event, but out of a 304 page book, perhaps about 20 were spent on the disaster.
Nichols is at times inclined to purplish prose, and sometimes I felt the editing was lacking (sentence fragments that seemed odd and too melodramatic for the tone of the book, some sentences that repeated the same thoughts of a previous paragraph). I did feel also that the book dragged somewhat; we are introduced to a cast of historical persons in Chapter 1, then shifted back and forth in time for the next few chapters, with differing casts of other people, before finally returning to the people from Chapter 1 (at which point I had to flip back to Ch 1 to remind myself who these people were).
I don't mean for my review to sound like I didn't enjoy the book. The book did hold my interest, as someone who is interested in the history of whaling and of New Bedford, and I enjoyed learning more about the Howland family, their origins, and the end of the whaling dynasty. There were a lot of fun tidbits that I hadn't known before reading about the diversification of business in New Bedford even before the Civil War, the discovery of petroleum, and other facts about Quakerism that I found fascinating. This is definitely a good, solid read for anyone who enjoys the history of whaling or New England, but the pacing and editing of the book could have used some work.
I do feel that this book adds a lot to the history of whaling in that it details the decline and eventual end of the Yankee whaling industry. Many other whaling history books focus on the beginnings and Golden Age. This would make a great companion book to Eric Jay Dolin's "Leviathan".
Nichols is at times inclined to purplish prose, and sometimes I felt the editing was lacking (sentence fragments that seemed odd and too melodramatic for the tone of the book, some sentences that repeated the same thoughts of a previous paragraph). I did feel also that the book dragged somewhat; we are introduced to a cast of historical persons in Chapter 1, then shifted back and forth in time for the next few chapters, with differing casts of other people, before finally returning to the people from Chapter 1 (at which point I had to flip back to Ch 1 to remind myself who these people were).
I don't mean for my review to sound like I didn't enjoy the book. The book did hold my interest, as someone who is interested in the history of whaling and of New Bedford, and I enjoyed learning more about the Howland family, their origins, and the end of the whaling dynasty. There were a lot of fun tidbits that I hadn't known before reading about the diversification of business in New Bedford even before the Civil War, the discovery of petroleum, and other facts about Quakerism that I found fascinating. This is definitely a good, solid read for anyone who enjoys the history of whaling or New England, but the pacing and editing of the book could have used some work.
I do feel that this book adds a lot to the history of whaling in that it details the decline and eventual end of the Yankee whaling industry. Many other whaling history books focus on the beginnings and Golden Age. This would make a great companion book to Eric Jay Dolin's "Leviathan".
February 5, 2011
This book tells several stories. The first story deals with the people and the cities that brought about the incredible wealth gained from whaling. The second story deals with one of the largest maritime diasters in history. The third story deals with the collapse of this empire and those that survived.
The whaling industry was centered in the town of New Bedford, Massachusetts. New Bedford was probably the wealthiest town in the United States at this time. New Bedford was primarily settled by the Quakers who controlled the whaling industry. The Quakers believed that the slaying of whales was a holy directive from God as proclaimed in Isaiah 27: 1-6.
The tremendous wealth that was produced by whaling was garnered by the oil that was extracted from whale blubber. This oil was highly sought after by Americans and foreigners alike. It was used in oil lamps, but was most sought after as a lubricant.
The book tells of the plight of those that went in search of the whale. Men and ships faced harsh conditions from the sea and sometimes would be away from home for years at a time. Conditions grew worse towards the close of the 1800's when, due to over fishing, whales became harder to find and greater risks had to taken by Captain and crew.
One of the largest maritime disasters took place in 1871 when thirty-two whale ships carrying 1,218 men, women, and children were stranded in an Artic storm. Although all hands were rescued, all the ships were abandoned and destroyed. This catastrophe marked the beginning of the end of the lucrative whaling industry.
The author does make a comparison between the collapse of the whale oil industry of the 1800's to the possibility of a like collapse of the oil industry today. He believes that this is likely to happen as we develop new energy sources.
A good read for those who like and have an interest in history. The book does do into some length on the families that built up New Bedford and the whaling industry. Nichols does bring out some little known and new facts that should be of interest to all readers.
The whaling industry was centered in the town of New Bedford, Massachusetts. New Bedford was probably the wealthiest town in the United States at this time. New Bedford was primarily settled by the Quakers who controlled the whaling industry. The Quakers believed that the slaying of whales was a holy directive from God as proclaimed in Isaiah 27: 1-6.
The tremendous wealth that was produced by whaling was garnered by the oil that was extracted from whale blubber. This oil was highly sought after by Americans and foreigners alike. It was used in oil lamps, but was most sought after as a lubricant.
The book tells of the plight of those that went in search of the whale. Men and ships faced harsh conditions from the sea and sometimes would be away from home for years at a time. Conditions grew worse towards the close of the 1800's when, due to over fishing, whales became harder to find and greater risks had to taken by Captain and crew.
One of the largest maritime disasters took place in 1871 when thirty-two whale ships carrying 1,218 men, women, and children were stranded in an Artic storm. Although all hands were rescued, all the ships were abandoned and destroyed. This catastrophe marked the beginning of the end of the lucrative whaling industry.
The author does make a comparison between the collapse of the whale oil industry of the 1800's to the possibility of a like collapse of the oil industry today. He believes that this is likely to happen as we develop new energy sources.
A good read for those who like and have an interest in history. The book does do into some length on the families that built up New Bedford and the whaling industry. Nichols does bring out some little known and new facts that should be of interest to all readers.
September 27, 2012
Two historical stories are intertwined in Final Voyage; the whaling season of 1871 in which the majority of the fleet was lost after becoming trapped in the Artic ice and the story of the birth of the whaling industry in New Bedford. The story in New Bedford focuses on a family named Howland, who at one point owned one of the most profitable whaling businesses and their history as Quakers as well as looking at the decline of whaling through them.
This is a pleasant read that moves quickly using the many primary sources of diaries and logbooks to give a sense of how life was viewed. I picked up this book, because of my interest in maritime history and ended up learning more of the history of the Quakers. As I consider myself a Quaker, but sadly I'm not as educated about it as I'd like, this gave an added pleasure to the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know more about whaling, New England history or the history of the oil industry in the United States. The author ends with a subtle point about how quickly the whaling industry went from being the place to get the best oil for everything to second best and then not a consideration.
This is a pleasant read that moves quickly using the many primary sources of diaries and logbooks to give a sense of how life was viewed. I picked up this book, because of my interest in maritime history and ended up learning more of the history of the Quakers. As I consider myself a Quaker, but sadly I'm not as educated about it as I'd like, this gave an added pleasure to the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know more about whaling, New England history or the history of the oil industry in the United States. The author ends with a subtle point about how quickly the whaling industry went from being the place to get the best oil for everything to second best and then not a consideration.
April 7, 2010
More than an adventure story about one disastrous whaling season, Fatal Voyage traces the origins of New Bedford, the ascetic Quaker underpinnings that strongly influenced whaling culture, and the ever-increasing lengths to which whalers would go to hold on to the only way of life many of them had ever known. Arctic disasters or not, whaling was doomed as soon as oil was discovered in Pennsylvania. This was a fascinating peek into a little-known religious community and the lives of men at sea.
The museum at Mystic Seaport is crammed with scrimshaw and whalebone products fashioned by bored and lonely sailors. Nichol's portraits of these sailors and the conditions under which they served for years at a time add poignancy to these objects and fill me with awe at the delicacy of feeling that can exist even under such circumstances.
The museum at Mystic Seaport is crammed with scrimshaw and whalebone products fashioned by bored and lonely sailors. Nichol's portraits of these sailors and the conditions under which they served for years at a time add poignancy to these objects and fill me with awe at the delicacy of feeling that can exist even under such circumstances.
March 11, 2016
I chose this book because I've enjoyed the author's past work, and this didn't disappoint. Whaling is an unsettling matter, with the sanguine hunt and slaughter of creatures we now regard as much more than a source of fuel. But this also illuminated other ways a whaling ship was run and lived--with wives and children on board, the community ships in number created on the open seas, and the Quaker values that meant most of the inordinate riches gained were paid in measure to the owners, earners, as well as charity. Covered here is a singular shipwreck but also the end of an era, one that of course portends where we currently stand with the petroleum question. The writing is rich and fluent, sets every scene and taut emotion, makes you care about the people involved yet handles the weight of telling its story.
August 30, 2016
If there were an award for False Advertisement in a Book Blurb, this book would be the winner. It is not about a an arctic disaster or one fateful whaling season. It is about the entire whaling history of New England, it is about the Quakers disrupting the Puritans, it is about the first monopoly of sperm whale oil candles. But it's not about an entire fleet of whaling ships caught in an ice storm. At least, not by page 145 it isn't. Maybe it's just me, but I think after that many pages the author should be getting to the point or at least to the subject matter described on the cover. Instead, Nichols is still landlocked and blathering on about whale oil monopolies, and I've had enough. This is not what I wanted to read about and not what I was lead to believe I would be reading about. This one is being tossed on DNF pile.
June 11, 2019
Sounded like it would be a gripping book of an Arctic adventure. NOT. Oh well. Was very informative and educational, but it took me ages to slog through. It had maybe one chapter of details of the ships trapped in the ice in the Arctic, but even that wasn't terribly compelling. They made it out. All fine. Lots of historical background about the whaling industry in New England from colonial times through the late 1800s. Again, informative but not wildly interesting.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/final-voyage-a...
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/final-voyage-a...
July 24, 2016
I listened to the book on CD and found the organization hard to follow at times. The story starts with a description of the whaling fleet's dire circumstance of being trapped in the Arctic. But, then goes back in time to trace the rise and decline of whaling and the role of Quakers in early America. It's not a bad way of telling a story, it just took some replaying to remember what related side story was being told. All-in-all this was a very interesting historical account as discovered by the author from ship captain logs, diaries and letters of crew members, and letters and documents from whaling company owners.
January 27, 2016
"A story of Arctic disaster..." Well, not exactly. The narrative of the titular voyage forms the skeleton of the book as a whole, but this really only amounts to a third or so of it, with the rest of the material being a deluge of information regarding the cultural, economic, and even religious context of the time. So it's not exactly what I was hoping for when I picked it up, however the book is not without its merits. If you truly want to understand Moby Dick, Final Voyage should be required reading, filling you in on all of the details that Melville just assumes you'll know.
April 10, 2012
Interesting reading, dramatic re-telling of the loss of much of the New Bedford whaling fleet in Arctic ice. I have read lots recently about this period, so there was little new material, but the some, and the presentation is very good. Lots of stories of actual people, some logbook
entries and so on. I was reading fast, skimming somewhat for information that would shed further light on world of Hetty Howland Robinson Green.
entries and so on. I was reading fast, skimming somewhat for information that would shed further light on world of Hetty Howland Robinson Green.
January 25, 2016
Misleading title and grim subject. The structure of the book is also confusing, with the biography of the main characters going back and forth during the book.
Anyway, it was an interesting book and I particularly liked the chapters where the inner workings of the whaling industry were explained.
Anyway, it was an interesting book and I particularly liked the chapters where the inner workings of the whaling industry were explained.
May 2, 2013
Interesting story with important lessons for managing our remaining natural resources. Found the story a little hard to follow sometimes and the author took some tangents, which were interesting, but this book covers much more than just one fateful whaling season.
Narration is good.
Narration is good.
June 23, 2013
This is really the history of whaling -- its rise and fall. Nichols has researched his topic well. I don't know what he could have left out, but about 3/4 of the way through his book, I needed to hurry him along.
June 22, 2016
Very interesting book, obviously draws parallels to the boom and bust oil days of the last 50 years. An anticlimactic end where ships were trapped and abandoned and owners lost big since no insurance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2013
I agree with others who have reviewed this book. It is a good history of New Bedford whaling but not really the adventure story you would expect from reading the title of the book.
December 29, 2013
Recommended.
August 14, 2015
3.5 stars
March 6, 2016
Not really about a failed expedition. A misleading title and book description, but still a decent read. Book more about whaling industry's growth and collapse.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews