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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBBC: Endurance: Shackleton's lost ship is found in Antarctic, March 9, 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60662541[The Endurance, the lost vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was found at the weekend at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. The ship was crushed by sea-ice and sank in 1915, forcing Shackleton and his men to make an astonishing escape on foot and in small boats.
Video of the remains show Endurance to be in remarkable condition. Even though it
has been sitting in 3km (10,000ft) of water for over a century, it looks just like it did on the November day it went down. Its timbers, although disrupted, are still very much
together, and the name - Endurance - is clearly visible on the stern.
"Without any exaggeration this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen - by far," said marine archaeologist Mensun Bound, who is on the discovery expedition and has now fulfilled a dream ambition in his near 50-year career.
"It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation," he told BBC News.]
There's much more text, photos, a map and access to videos at the link. Many years
ago as a teen I read about the Arctic and Antarctic explorers and found the story of
Shackleton to be the most interesting. I have edited the text to meet our
four-paragraph rule.
hatrack
(59,439 posts)Arguably the greatest true story of survival ever recorded.
It wasn't just the Endurance expedition, either - Shackleton got to just over 100 miles from the South Pole in 1909 on foot (no dogsleds or tractors) but turned back because he realized that he and his team wouldn't survive if they went on.
All of them got back safely, and seven years later he brought every man of the crew of the Endurance safely home as well.
VGNonly
(7,430 posts)but they didn't last long. They used ponies but they were soon put down. More than 3/4 of the entire journey was man-hauling. His party of four barely survived.
Shackleton remarking about turning back "I would rather be a live donkey than a dead lion".
Old Crank
(3,375 posts)TNNurse
(6,911 posts)Both the ones from 1915 and now are just amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)samnsara
(17,570 posts)spanone
(135,635 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,276 posts)KS Toronado
(16,909 posts)And with no crew aboard?
spike jones
(1,654 posts)Last edited Wed Mar 9, 2022, 10:45 AM - Edit history (1)
some men were giving up and he told them, just think, if we can keep going and live, nothing will ever seem hard again.
The famous Shackleton ad for adventurers to join him.
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."
Response to abqtommy (Original post)
Quakerfriend This message was self-deleted by its author.
Roc2020
(1,604 posts)The structured definitely endured over 105yrs. Hope they can bring it up without breaking it.
VGNonly
(7,430 posts)Salvage would be very doubtful if not impossible. Leave her be.
Grumpy Old Guy
(3,120 posts)I first read about Shackleton in grade school, and I've continued to read about him all through my life. I still have several books about him. His crossing of the Antarctic Ocean in an open lifeboat to save his men stands to this day as one of the greatest feats of seamanship in history. This is truly astounding news.
VGNonly
(7,430 posts)I'm somewhat surprised that the vessel is in such good shape. When the she sank, it was shipping water, the seams were spread, the rigging and masts were mostly down. The crew endured freezing water to salvage what they could. Frank Hurley the photographer, dove in to save the glass plates.
What sank the Endurance was that while it was a very strong ship, it was wall sided. It did not rise when the ice squeezed it. The Norwegian ship Fram was round bottomed, it could rise. The Fram was used by Nansen, Sverdrup and Amundsen, it still exists.
The small vessel used by Shackleton was the James Caird which also exists. Six of the crew sailed about 800 miles in winter conditions to reach South Georgia Island. Shackleton, Frank Worsley the expert navigator and Tom Crean the second officer then crossed the island in 9,000 foot Alpine altitudes to reach a whaling station to secure rescue.