Voyages of Pynchon

First Voyage (Incomplete)
Marcus
1823-1825
Captain: Matthew Sayre
Seaman: Billy Pyncheon

The Marcus departed Sag Harbor for the Pacific Ocean in 1823. Greenhorn “Billy Pyncheon” is thrice mentioned in the logs. On the first occasion the “bookish young man” is praised for “shewing an interest in the iron.” The second entry indicates that Pynchon “is very smart & capable & expresses wish 2B an officer.” The third is less favorable: “Billy P. deserted at Little Easter Island.” The Marcus continued its voyage without Pynchon, returning to Long Island in 1825.

Second Voyage (Incomplete)
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 “Pynchon knew his way round the harp & should be prom’t 2 b.s.”

Third 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.”

Fourth 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.”

Fifth Voyage (Incomplete)
Celaeno
1832-1834
Captain: Wilbur Orne
Chief Mate: Tarrant Hussey
Second Mate: Philip Snow
Third Mate: Jacob Macy
“Fourth Mate”: William Pynchon
Selected Crew: Donovan Rex (Macy’s boatsteerer), Hipolito Doyle (Hussey’s boatsteerer)

The logbook of the Celaeno has an extended entry about William Pynchon, made by its verbose chief mate, Tarrant Hussey: “While passing through a storm of particularly nasty disposition we were astonish’d to discover a native canoe, upon which—and wrapped against the cold in native habiliments—was a white Christian named William Bliss Pynchon. Apparently the third mate of our sister ship Janus, Pynchon claims to have spent a year on a nearby island. Though the storms prevented us from exploring said island, we accepted Mr. Pynchon onboard and shall return him hence to Kingsport. Tragically, Pynchon claims that Captain Ezra Coffin was lost at sea a year ago—very bad news for Old Barzo.” After that, Hussey’s comments are limited to effusive praise about Pynchon’s “competence & drive.” Indeed, Pynchon served the Celaeno as “something of an unofficial fourth mate.” 

Sixth Voyage
Quiddity
1834–1836
Captain: Seth Warnock
Chief Mate: Jeremiah Joab
Second Mate: Ichabod Allen
Third Mate: William Pynchon
Selected Crew: Nathaniel Coffin Warnock (Seth Warnock’s boatsteerer), Elijah Watts (Joab’s boatsteerer), Andrew Wasmuth (Allen’s first boatsteerer), Quentin Shaw (Allen’s second boatsteerer), Zachary Clay (Pynchon’s boatsteerer), Stanley Ruch (carpenter)

Newly outfitted from a Boston merchantman at the Tuttle shipyard, the Quiddity was meant to be captained by Ezra Coffin, but he was “lost at sea” before the destruction of the Janus. By unanimous accord of Sleet, Baker & Blood, the Quiddity was given to the two surviving officers of the Janus shipwreck, Seth Warnock and Jeremiah Joab. Its first voyage was a success, making its rounds of the Atlantic and Pacific with few incidents. The normal amount of desertions took place, but they “picked up a few stranded sailors” in Maui to replace their losses, including “a very colourful harpooneer, Mr. Q. Shaw.” However, on the way home, boatsteerer Andrew Wasmuth “commended his soul to the deep” after a night of “rum & debauchery with a young greenhorn, who was thence flogged in the rigging.” Elijah Watts features in the logs as well, proving a very capable harpooneer, “despite his youth.”

Seventh Voyage
Polaris
1838-1839
Captain: Jasper Blood
Chief Mate: Barry Ohannessian
Second Mate: William Pynchon
Third Mate: Benjamin Salter

Promoted to second mate of the Polaris, Pynchon earned high praise from Captain Blood during a standard cruise of the Greenland fishery. Though chief mate Barry Ohannessian makes a cryptic aside in the logs: “All is not as it seems with Mr. P.”

Eighth Voyage
Polaris
1840
Captain: Jasper Blood
Chief Mate: Barry Ohannessian
Second Mate: William Pynchon
Third Mate: Iskandar Crabbe

There are no surviving records from the last voyage of the Polaris, but its fate is public knowledge. Returning to the Greenland fishery, the Polaris was blown north and became entrapped in ice. The ship was crushed. The crew were stranded in the Arctic for over three weeks; only twelve survived, including William Pynchon. Among the dead were Captain Jasper Blood, chief mate Barry Ohannessian, and third mate Iskandar Crabbe.

Ninth Voyage
Spindrift
1841-1842
Captain: Percival Tuttle
Chief Mate: William Pynchon
Second Mate: Benjamin Salter
Third Mate: Stephen Illsley

Pynchon’s first outing as chief mate, he records an easy voyage blessed by “fortunate weather” and “copious whales.” Although he makes some uncharacteristically droll comments about the temperature, there’s little else to report except “much baleen & oil this voyage.” The only unusual comment was added by Captain Tuttle, who remarks on Pynchon’s “surprising ability to speak the savage language of the Esquimaux, which helped us considerably on Resolution Island.”

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844 Handouts
[ Backwards to Voyages of Joab | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Voyages of the Quiddity]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 3 October 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
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