In 1915, Ernest Shackleton and his crew set out on an expedition in the Endurance to become the first team to make a land crossing of Antarctica. Their ship would become stuck in the ice and sink, leading to a century-long search.
The ship ’s story became a caption , and explorers and historiographer have attempted to settle the its last resting spot for over a century . With several failure on the books , many wondered if theEndurancewould ever be found or if she would lay undisturbed and lost to man in her frosty grave perpetually .
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The answer to that question came in February 2022 , when a multi - national research crowd claim on the challenge and prowled the frozen waters of the Weddell Sea with young underwater technology in search of the doomed vessel .
The crew’s dogs sit on the ice in front of the immobile Endurance.
Ernest Shackleton And The Voyage Of TheEndurance
The story of theEndurancebegins with one military personnel : Ernest Shackleton . The Irish - born explorer had a passion for chair pleasure trip into the inhospitable frozen landscapes of the South Pole .
Before lead the expedition on theEndurance , Shackleton participated in at least two other expeditions to the South Pole . He became a popular figure in his place country , frequently attending speech and compose books about his experience .
Shackleton ’s cock-a-hoop risky venture began in 1914 with the launch of the Imperial Trans - Atlantic Expedition . The goal was to sail a work party of roughly 56 men divide among two ship to Weddell Bay in Antarctica . From there , the gang would make the first body politic crossway of the continent and cease their journeying at the Ross Sea .
Shackleton sail aboard theEndurance , a barquentine ship built to withstand extremely low temperature . Aboard were also the ship ’s captain , scientists , and photographer .
On August 8 , 1914 , theEnduranceleft Plymouth , England , and sailed for Buenos Aires , Argentina . After the ship arrive , it sailed for the British - check South Georgia Island on October 26 . The crew get in only a few days afterwards .
at last , on December 5 , theEnduranceset sail for Antarctica , and the crew at once began experiencing problem .
Frank Hurley / Scott Polar Research Institute , University of CambridgeTheEndurancestuck in the Antarctic water ice .
The rough Ethel Waters and meth pack of the Weddell Sea forced the ship to halt or change her path several times . Shackleton even spell in his retelling of theexpedition :
" I had been develop for malevolent conditions in the Weddell Sea but had hoped that the pack would be promiscuous . What we were encountering was a fairly dense pack of a very obstinate fictitious character . "
In January of 1915 , theEndurancebecame stuck in the ice , kicking off a incubus that would threaten the work party and fascinate succeeding observers for age .
A Desperate Crew And The Ship Stuck In The Ice
At the mercy of the floating bed sheet of sparkler that cluster around the Antarctic continent , theEndurancecrew tried to free the ship from her frozen confines .
Shackleton consecrate the man to hop off the boat and onto the thick ice sheet surrounding the ship . With picks and saw in hand , the crew essay hacking at the ice imprisoning their ship , but they were abortive .
The icy sheets had captured the ship , and they did not intend to permit go .
Frank Hurley / Scott Polar Research Institute , University of CambridgeCrew members unsuccessfully attempt to free theEndurancefrom the methamphetamine hydrochloride .
With her inability to violate free from the internal-combustion engine canvas , theEndurancefloated with them . Shackleton lamented being at the mercifulness of the move ice but hope that it would eventually take the bunch to where they needed to be .
However , this was not the case . The chicken feed sheets began to move North , and Shackleton fear that he and his men would have to spend the next few calendar month in the ship , trammel among the ice . And that is exactly what come about .
As the dark wintertime months of May , June , and July start in the Southern Hemisphere , Shackleton notice that the ice sheet were thickening and threatening to mash theEndurance .
The force per unit area built up so hard as time passed , eventually ripping through the Kingston-upon Hull and allowing the frosty water to record . TheEndurancewas doomed , and on October 27 , 1915 , Shackleton called for his crew to abandon ship .
The expedition took on a new face . Shackleton and his adult male faced brutal precondition demonstrate through the frosting and sail in lifeboat to various Antarctic islands before their delivery in former 1916 .
Upon his delivery , Shackleton recounted his report , and many were curious about the ship ’s final resting position .
In November 1915 , the ice had finally defeated Shackleton’sEndurance , pulling her into her icy , underwater tomb where she would be lost to the world for over a 100 .
The Myths Of TheEndurance
Decades after her doomed ocean trip , theEnduranceship became a thing of myth . Several historian and shipwreck hunters want to regain where the craft had ultimately met her fortune .
Dozens of book , four movies , and one telling display at the American Museum of Natural History encompass the tale of theEndurance , igniting a spark that would drive a smattering of daring adventurers to look for the wreck themselves .
In 2001 , wreck hunter David Mearns said he would take on the challenge .
" This will be one of the most ambitious hunting ever , " Mearns toldOutside Magazine . " I expect there will be quite a bit of the ship left . We would care to rediscover the at sea science . There was a tremendous amount of samples and instrument left behind . "
Other rival groups also announced they would be searching for theEnduranceshipwreck , prompting pretty of an " EnduranceRush . "
David Mearns manage to organize his expedition in 2010 but later had to halt it due to enormous funding costs .
Between 2018 and 2019 , a Weddell Sea Expedition came close to find theEnduranceshipwreck after apply the an sovereign underwater fomite ( AUV ) to assist lookup . However , the expedition failed when the AUV sunk under the ice .
Despite the flashy statements and exciting rivalries , none were able to put together a successful foreign mission to name the lose ship .
That is until July 2021 , when the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust announced Endurance22 , an expedition that purpose to find the Shackleton’sEnduranceusing fresh underwater engineering science .
The Astounding Discovery Of The Sunken Ship A Century Later
James Blake / Falklands Maritime Heritage TrustThe S.A. Agulhas II watercraft carried the team of Endurance22 tax with finding the fall behind ship .
On February 5 , 2022 , the S.A. Agulhas II depart Cape Town , South Africa , en route to the Weddell Sea .
The Endurance22 team , consisting of professionals from around the world , used the diary ofEndurancenavigator , Frank Worsley , and data from the move of the ice rink at the time of theEnduranceship ’s journeying to pinpoint her probable resting place .
" Using today ’s far more precise sky mapping , researchers calculated that Endurance ’s clocks were run faster than the crew accounted for , an misplay that would shift the location of the vessel western United States of Worsley ’s last recorded position . Using these calculation , the hostile expedition narrowed their search but still confront prospicient betting odds of finding the vessel,“National Geographicwrote .
With a location in mind , the pleasure trip employ AUVs , this time more hardy and capable of navigating the frigid depth .
at long last , on March 9 , 2022 , the crew found the shipwreck of Shackleton’sEnduranceonly four miles from where Worsley observe in his diary . Using their AUVs , the team took singular images of the lost ship nigh 10,000 feet below the methamphetamine hydrochloride .
National Geographic / Falklands Maritime TrustA photograph of the sunkenEndurancetaken by an AUV .
TheEnduranceship was in fantabulous condition due to the freeze temperatures and lack of sea creatures to eat out at the ship .
" She is upright , well proud of the seabed and in an excellent United States Department of State of preservation . you may even see her paintwork and count the fastenings . There is some damage to the fo’c’sle deck and part of her starboard side , but otherwise she is largely intact , " Mensum Bound , Marine Archaeologist and Director of Exploration , announce on hisexpedition blog .
The Endurance22 team keep the discovery by taking images of the wreck and using 3D scanning applied science for future depth psychology .
The squad has no plans to take away any part of theEndurancefrom the Weddell Sea , mention stipulations of the Antarctic Treaty System that preserve the crash as a historic site and keep her from being tampered with .
" The search for the Endurance was ten years in the making . It was one of the most challenging archeologic undertakings ever . It was also a huge international team effort that demonstrates what can be achieve when people work together , " Bound relayed in his blog .
" Shackleton , we like to think , would have been lofty of us . "
After read about theEnduranceand her incredible discovery , uncover the story ofnine of history ’s most famous shipwrecks . Then , enjoy33 image of Antarctica ’s almost otherworldly wintry landscapes .
Frank Hurley/Scott Polar Research Institute, University of CambridgeCrew members unsuccessfully attempt to free theEndurancefrom the ice.
James Blake/Falklands Maritime Heritage TrustThe S.A. Agulhas II vessel carried the team of Endurance22 tasked with finding the lost ship.
National Geographic/Falklands Maritime TrustA photo of the sunkenEndurancetaken by an AUV.
