The story of the Octavius, an 18th-century British merchant ship, is a strange one. It’s one that lacks evidence to conclude the story, leaving a great mystery of what truly happened.
The Departure
In 1761, the Octavius departed from London and sailed for China. It was another lucrative trading opportunity for those aboard.
Captaining the ship was a Dutch man named Hendrick van der Heul. An elderly man, Heul was quite experienced at sea. He was accompanied by his wife and son, along with a crew of about twenty five men.
The Octavius made the voyage by traveling south around the Cape of Africa to reach its destination. By early 1762, it had arrived in China. Goods were traded, and the Octavius was loaded back up to return home to England.
The Decision
As the journey home began, Captain Heul noticed that the weather was unusually warm for that time of year. This motivated him to make a very bold, and fateful, decision: travel to England via the Northwest Passage.
The main problem with the Northwest Passage was, in 1762, no one had ever successfully voyaged through it. A proper route had yet to be established, nor was it proven that a route could even be established.
The icy waters north of mainland Canada were largely uncharted.
Yet, Captain Heul went through with his plan to become the first person to navigate the Northwest Passage.
Recovery
Fast-forward thirteen years, to 11 October 1775.
A whaling crew aboard the Herald was working off the coast of Greenland, at one end of the Northwest Passage.
While on the job, the crew noticed a ship slowly floating toward them. They neared the ship, and noticed that it was badly weather-beaten. In fact, the crew found most of the ship to be frozen solid.
The crew then curiously boarded the desolate ship to uncover its origins. Upon boarding, they discovered the ship’s name: the Octavius.
Still curious, the crew decided to venture down into the lower decks and find out what remained.
Frozen Solid
The whaling crew became frightened when they entered the lower decks. They found Captain Heul’s crew lying around, their bodies frozen solid.
The crew of the Octavius had been perfectly preserved. Some had been sitting up straight when they froze to death, and their posture was maintained for thirteen years.
The wife and son of Captain Heul were found in a corner, wrapped in a blanket, and frozen solid.
Lastly, the curious whaling crew entered the quarters of Captain Heul. What they found was an amazement.
The Captain had been frozen in his chair at his desk. His pen was still in his hand, with an open logbook sitting in front of him. It looked as if Heul had been writing while freezing to death.
The Mystery
The last position recorded in Captain Heul’s logbook was 250 miles (400 km) north of Alaska. This was the opposite end of the Northwest Passage from where the whaling crew had found the Octavius.
Most of the whaling crew fled in horror at what they discovered in the lower decks of the Octavius. They claimed that the ship was cursed, and left it adrift.
However, before fleeing, the crew managed to leave with Captain Heul’s logbook, which was used to accurately detail this story.
The big mystery remains: how did the Octavius travel through the Northwest Passage? It had lost its entire crew, and its sails were completely frozen.
In addition, the Northwest Passage is not a straight path. The Octavius somehow maneuvered around large landmasses to reach Greenland, which was over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) away.
Conclusion
In a way, Captain Heul did become the first person to travel through the Northwest Passage. He was only frozen to death before he reached the end. Nevertheless, he made it.
What do you think? How could a desolate, frozen ship travel through a dangerously icy sea passage without navigation? Is the Octavius truly cursed, or was it pure luck? Perhaps there is more to story that has never been revealed.
