What is the name of the first ship the Pequod encounters at sea?

The first ship the Pequod encounters at sea is the Goney, also known as the Albatross. The meeting occurs southeast of the Cape of Good Hope, during the Pequod's global voyage in search of Moby Dick.

Ahab hails the Goney because he wants to learn whether its crew has seen the white whale. The other captain attempts to answer through a speaking trumpet, but the trumpet falls into the sea before he can provide the information. Ahab then sails on rather than taking part in the customary social exchange between whale-ships.

The scene establishes a pattern for the encounters that follow: Ahab treats other vessels primarily as sources of intelligence about Moby Dick. It also illustrates the novel's tension between ordinary whaling customs and Ahab's single-minded obsession. The Goney is easy to confuse with the Town-Ho, but the Town-Ho is the second ship the Pequod meets. The Jeroboam, Rachel, and other named vessels appear later in the voyage.