What is the name of the captain of the English whaler Samuel Enderby?

The captain of the English whaler Samuel Enderby is Captain Boomer. The Pequod meets his ship in Chapter 100 of Moby-Dick, during the sequence in which Ahab encounters other whaling vessels at sea.

Boomer has recently encountered Moby Dick and lost an arm in the attack. Like Ahab, he wears a prosthetic limb made from whale material, giving the two captains an immediate physical resemblance. Ahab assumes that Boomer’s injury has created the same desire for revenge that drives him.

Boomer, however, is a practical counterpoint to Ahab. Although he describes Moby Dick as a terrifying and powerful animal, he has no wish to pursue the whale again. He regards the hunt as recklessly dangerous and questions Ahab’s judgment rather than joining his obsession.

The Samuel Enderby is a London whaler, not an American vessel from Nantucket like the Pequod. Captain Boomer is also easy to confuse with Pequod officers such as Bildad and Peleg, but those men are associated with the Pequod’s ownership and command before Ahab’s voyage.