Voyages of Joab

First Voyage
Phebe Ann
1815-1816
Captain: Richard Orne
Greenhorn: Jeremiah Joab

The Phebe Ann, one of Kingsport’s oldest whalers, was limited to Atlantic operations, and spent 17 months on a successful voyage in the West Indies and Brazil Grounds. Joab “made an excellent accounting of himself,” and was marked as a boy with “all the qualities of a brilliant whaleman.”

Second Voyage
Phebe Ann
1817-1818
Captain: Richard Orne
Second Mate: Ezra Coffin
Ordinary Seaman: Jeremiah Joab

Another “plum-pudding” cruise to the Brazil Grounds. Joab distinguished himself by “taking an avid interest in the harping iron” and “providing the men with fresh sea-pig on sevr’l occasions.” During a latter hunt, boatsteerer “Big Chief Smokey” allowed Joab to cast the iron, which “scored true & fastened to the whale as if darted by an old hand.”

Third Voyage
Virgin
1819-1821
Captain: Barzillai Coffin
Chief Mate: Ezra Coffin
Third Mate: Seth Warnock
Boatsteerer: Jeremiah Joab

The last voyage of the famous captain Barzillai Coffin was a very prosperous one. Rounding Cape Horn without incident, they made excellent progress on the Offshore Grounds. There they gammed with a ship that informed them of a new ground off the coast of Japan. After unloading their oil at Honolulu, they sailed for Japan and filled their hold in record time. Joab, a young harpooneer, was a frequent entry in the mate’s logbooks, and ostensibly earned himself the respect of the entire crew. After a three-hour long struggle with a sperm whale, Joab’s boat-crew suggested he save the mangled harpoon for the newly-established Kingsport tavern, the Knotted Iron. The only other comment of interest was noted by Barzillai’s son, chief mate Ezra Coffin: “Spent 2 weeks on uncharted island; no points lat. or long. are to be entered. Very misty & strange. Acquired sundry water & fruits, but men were frightened. When Capt. returned, departed with haste.”

Fourth Voyage
Virgin
1821-1824
Captain: Ezra Coffin
Chief Mate: (1) Nathaniel Quill, (2) Seth Warnock
Second Mate: (1) Seth Warnock, (2) Jeremiah Joab
Third Mate: (1) Jeremiah Joab, (2) Thomas Crowninshield

Appointed third mate, Joab “discharged his duties proudly, & boldly killed a fine share of whales” on this cruise to the Japan Grounds. Quill speaks very handsomely about Joab, and his logs are filled with comments about the third mate’s “magnetism” and “drive.” The voyage only encountered one problem, when it was dismasted in a squall on the Offshore Grounds, and chief mate Nathaniel Quill was “swept from deck & lost forever in Pacific.” Making sail to Honolulu, she hove to and was repaired, with “the crew greatly enjoying the sinful luxuries of the Sandwich Island girls.”

Fifth Voyage
Janus
1825-1827
Captain: Ezra Coffin
Chief Mate: Seth Warnock
Second Mate: Jeremiah Joab
Third Mate: Thomas Crowninshield

The maiden voyage of the whaleship Janus, newly fitted by Sleet, Baker & Blood. The ship “perform’d admirably,” and brought home a “goodly amount of sperm; one for the record books.” The voyage was without major incident, although a few deckhands were invalided by scurvy on the Offshore Grounds. At an “uncharted isle” near Easter Island, they discovered a Sag Harbor castaway, “Bill Pynchon,” and took him aboard. Warnock notes that “Joab cast iron for his scurvied harpooneer, accounting no less than 3 Parmaceti.”

Sixth Voyage
Janus
1828-1830
Captain: Ezra Coffin
Chief Mate: Seth Warnock
Second Mate: Jeremiah Joab
Third Mate: Philip Snow
Selected Crew: William Pynchon (Coffin’s boatsteerer), Elijah Watts (cabin boy)

The second voyage of the Janus followed hard on the first, and made similar rounds with similar success. The only unusual incident is captured in a small note made by Warnock: “Provisioned on godforsaken island with no name or discernable longitude, surrounded by giant stone heads. Capn. hell-bent on this call, but all we shipped aboard were some wild pigs & a few tasty birds. Crew is anxious, as jungle seems haunted with unspeakable sounds.” Additional marginalia indicates that Warnock was unhappy with his status, and was anxious to command his own ship. He darkly suggests that “J.J. is in total agreement,” and at one point writes, “Capn. taking an almost unusual interest in young Pynch., like 2 peas & a pod.”

Seventh Voyage
Janus
1830-1833
Captain: (1) Ezra Coffin, (2) Seth Warnock
Chief Mate: (1) Seth Warnock, (2) Jeremiah Joab
Second Mate: (1) Jeremiah Joab, (2) Ichabod Allen
Third Mate: (1) William Pynchon, (2) Unfilled
Selected Crew: Ichabod Allen (Coffin’s boatsteerer), Elijah Watts

The third and final voyage of the Janus set sail under the three officers who had commanded her since her construction—but it did not return so. When the ship set anchor off “that blasted island” in early 1832, the captain “dissappeared into jungle with W.P.” When they failed to return, a search party was organized. But before they could set about “scouring the island,” a “sudden & unyielding typhoon” blew the Janus out to sea. The storm raged for two days. After it was done, Warnock and Joab “tryed & tryed for weeks but could not raise the island.” Now in command of the Janus, Captain Warnock set for home. Rounding the Cape proved very treacherous, as if “the wrath of old Barzo was visiting itself upon us for losing his beloved son.” After taking severe damage, the Janus returned to the Pacific and hove-to at Valparaíso. The repairs took several weeks, during which time they managed to transfer half their oil to the Dragonspark. A rumor in port indicated a freak harvest of whales near the Society Islands, so it was decided to continue the hunt. But within a few days, disaster struck again. While chasing a whale near Mocha Island, a squall bore down from “seemingly no-where.” Two whaleboats were lost; one capsized by the squall, and the other smashed by a “great white bull.” A total of five sailors died. The shipkeepers panicked and could not gain control of the Janus, which foundered against Mocha Island. Rescue arrived the next morning, when the devastated crew discovered that they had encountered the white whale known as “Mocha Dick.”

Further Voyages
As Joab’s following voyages were all onboard the Quiddity, players may consult Handout: Quiddity Voyages for the continuation of his career.

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844 Handouts
[White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Voyages of Pynchon]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 3 October 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]