The Chase and Capture of the Nautilus by the Abraham Lincoln

The year 1866 was marked by a bizarre development: an unexplained phenomenon that alarmed seamen and governments across Europe and America. Several ships had encountered an enormous, spindle-shaped object at sea, sometimes phosphorescent, faster and bigger than any known whale. After a series of collisions, including one that left a clean, isosceles-triangle gash in the Cunard liner Scotia, public opinion demanded action. The United States government fitted out a high-speed frigate, the Abraham Lincoln, under Commander Farragut, to hunt down the creature. Professor Pierre Aronnax, a noted marine biologist from the Paris Museum of Natural History, was invited to join the expedition as France's representative. Accompanied by his stoic manservant Conseil and the Canadian harpooner Ned Land, Aronnax set sail from Brooklyn on July 3, 1866.

The Chase and the Collision

For months, the Abraham Lincoln scoured the Pacific with no success, until the evening of November 5, 1867. As the crew's morale was at its lowest, Ned Land spotted a strange, luminous object in the water. The frigate gave chase, but the creature proved faster and more agile. Commander Farragut ordered full steam, and the ship reached 19.3 miles per hour, but the animal matched its speed. A cannon shot bounced harmlessly off the creature's hide. As night fell, the Nautilus, for it was no animal but a submarine, appeared motionless. Ned Land hurled his harpoon, which struck with a resonant clang against metal. The submarine's electric light suddenly went out, and two enormous waterspouts crashed onto the frigate's deck, toppling crewmen and breaking spars. In the chaos, Aronnax was hurled overboard into the sea.

Discovery and Capture

Struggling in the dark water, Aronnax was rescued by Conseil, who had jumped in after him. They were soon joined by Ned Land, who had landed on what he thought was a floating islet. To their astonishment, the Canadian revealed that the beast was made of boilerplate steel. The three men were stranded on the back of a man-made underwater boat. As dawn broke, the submarine began to sink. From inside, a hatch opened, and eight masked men silently dragged them into the fearsome machine. They were imprisoned in a dark cell, their fate uncertain.

The First Interview with Captain Nemo

After being fed and allowed to sleep, the prisoners were finally brought before the ship's commander, Captain Nemo. Speaking fluent French, he revealed that he had understood their languages all along but had wanted to observe them first. He declared them prisoners of war, bound to the Nautilus for life because they had stumbled upon his secret. He offered them a conditional freedom aboard the ship, but made it clear they would never leave. Aronnax, fascinated by the prospect of exploring the underwater world, accepted the terms, while Ned Land seethed with a desire to escape. This encounter established the central conflict of the voyage: the tension between scientific wonder and the loss of personal liberty.