Whaling was dangerous business.
Those whales can be huge. They have great power. And they do not enjoy being hunted. They can retaliate and defend themselves.
And so one Chamorro whaler lost his life on some island in the Carolines on March 18, 1860. That's even before the American Civil War.
Pedro Sabbanas, whose real name is unknown, was a 4th mate on the New Bedford, Massachusetts whaling ship Saint George.
The ship came upon a bull whale in the waters of the Caroline Islands and the whale fought back. Another crew member, a boat steerer, was injured by the whale and died.
Pedro broke his back in the same event and somehow got into the water. With a broken back, it's no surprise Pedro drowned.
Apparently their bodies were retrieved and buried on some island in the Carolines.
There is no Chamorro family Sabbanas, but Chamorro whalers were often called by new names when they left Guam to join the whaling ships. Or, Sabbanas could be the mispronunciation of Pedro's true last name but that is less likely. Sabanas is Chamorro/Spanish for "bed sheet."
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