The ship that rescues Ishmael at the end of Moby-Dick is the Rachel. After the Pequod sinks, Ishmael survives by floating on Queequeg’s coffin until the Rachel finds him.
The Rachel is commanded by Captain Gardiner, whom the Pequod encounters shortly before the final chase. Gardiner asks Ahab to help search for a missing whaleboat carrying his son and other crewmen. Ahab refuses because he is determined to continue hunting Moby Dick.
That earlier refusal makes the Rachel’s later appearance especially significant. The ship is still searching for lost sailors when it discovers Ishmael, making him the only survivor of the Pequod’s destruction. The ship’s name also echoes the biblical Rachel, traditionally associated with mourning for her children—a fitting image for Gardiner’s search.
A common mix-up is the Pequod, the ship Ishmael joins, or Queequeg’s coffin, which keeps him afloat. Neither rescues him: the Rachel completes his survival story.