They eventually resorted , by common consent , to cannibalism to allow some to survive .
After a whale rammed and sank the whaling ship Essex of Nantucket on 20 November 1820 , the survivors were left floating in three small whaleboats .
survivors eventually resorted , by common consent , to cannibalism to allow some to survive .
After a whale rammed and sank the whaling ship Essex of Nantucket on 20 November 1820 , the survivors were left floating in three small whaleboats .