What is the name of the first mate on the Pequod?

Starbuck is the first mate aboard the Pequod in Moby-Dick.

He is a thoughtful Nantucket Quaker and one of the most cautious members of Captain Ahab’s crew. Unlike Ahab, Starbuck sees the voyage primarily as a commercial whaling expedition rather than a personal campaign against Moby Dick.

Starbuck repeatedly objects to Ahab’s desire for revenge, warning that the captain is placing the entire crew in danger. His judgment creates one of the novel’s central conflicts: Starbuck represents practical seamanship and responsibility, while Ahab represents obsession and the refusal to accept limits.

The other principal officers are Stubb, the second mate, and Flask, the third mate. Queequeg is not a mate at all; he is a harpooneer and Ishmael’s close companion. The character’s name may also echo the real Nantucket sailor Edward C. Starbuck, who was associated with Melville’s experiences and research into whaling life.