In Nov 1915, Ernest Shackleton and his crew started off an expedition in the Endurance, aiming to be the first to cross Antarctica by land.
However, their expedition quickly turned disastrous. The Endurance became trapped and was eventually crushed by the heavy ice sheets, sinking to the bottom of the Weddell Sea.
The ship’s story became legendary, with explorers and historians searching for its final resting place for over a century.
Despite many failed attempts, people wondered if the Endurance would ever be found or remain lost in its icy grave forever.
How Ernest Shackleton prepared for this voyage
The story of the Endurance begins with Ernest Shackleton, an Irish-born explorer with a passion for leading expeditions to the South Pole.
Before the Endurance, Shackleton had already taken part in two other South Pole expeditions, becoming a well-known figure in his home country through lectures and books about his adventures.
He called his new venture the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Shackleton believed that “not only the people of these islands, but our kinsmen in all the lands under the Union Jack will be willing to assist towards the carrying out of the … programme of exploration.”
It’s rumored that Shackleton posted an advertisement in a London paper, stating: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in the event of success.”
Shackleton received more than 5,000 applications for places on the expedition.
The crews for the two arms of the expedition were eventually reduced to 28 members each. Among them were William Bakewell, who joined in Buenos Aires, and his friend Perce Blackborow, who stowed away after his application was rejected.
Several last-minute additions were also made to the Ross Sea party in Australia, including temporary crewman Sir Daniel Gooch, grandson of the famous railway pioneer Daniel Gooch.
Setting sail for Antarctica
On August 8th, the Endurance set sail for Antarctica, stopping in Buenos Aires and the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, home to a Norwegian whaling station.
They arrived in South Georgia on November 5th, 1914. Shackleton learned from the whaling captains that the ice conditions between South Georgia and the Weddell Sea were particularly severe that year.
Originally, they planned to spend only a few days gathering supplies. However, they ended up staying in South Georgia for a month, waiting for the ice further south to clear.
The Weddell Sea was notorious for its heavy ice, even in the best conditions. To prepare for this, the Endurance carried extra coal on deck, along with normal supplies, to help power through the pack ice to reach the Antarctic continent.
They also took extra clothing and provisions from South Georgia, in case they had to spend the winter trapped in the ice. The Endurance departed South Georgia on December 5, 1914.
The Endurance stuck and sank into the icy waters
As the Endurance reached Antarctica, it became trapped in the ice of Vahsel Bay. The rough waters and thick ice packs of the Weddell Sea forced the ship to stop or change course multiple times.
Shackleton wrote,: “I had been prepared for evil conditions in the Weddell Sea but had hoped that the pack would be loose. What we were encountering was a fairly dense pack of a very obstinate character.”
With the ship too far from land to attempt a crossing, the crew decided to wait out the winter aboard the Endurance and try to complete their mission in the spring.
It became clear they had to abandon their delayed expedition and their ship. The ice had crushed the Endurance’s hull beyond repair; once the ice melted, it would sink. Their new goal was to get home safely.
Photographer Frank Hurley described the scene, “The ship groans and quivers, windows splinter whilst deck timbers gape and twist. Amid these profound and overwhelming forces, we are the embodiment of helpless futility.”
On November 21st, 1915, the Endurance finally broke apart and sank into the icy waters of the Weddell Sea. The crew salvaged as many supplies as they could before it was lost.
Final efforts to survive
The 28 men of the expedition found themselves stranded on drifting pack ice, hundreds of miles from land, with no ship, no way to contact the outside world, and limited supplies.
Over six months, the ice shifted, bringing them close to Antarctica at one point before drifting away again. Their nearest land now is Elephant Island, which took a week of rowing and sailing to reach.
The plan is to spend the upcoming winter on the island, hoping that a whaling ship will pass by in the spring and rescue them.
Shackleton assesses their supplies and realizes they don’t have enough food to survive the winter. If they stay, starvation awaits.
Shackleton made a final desperate decision to save his men: he would take 5 men and sail to South Georgia Island in search of help.
Together, the group of six embarked on an 800-mile open-boat journey in the James Caird to reach South Georgia.
Once there, Shackleton organized a rescue mission for the men stranded on Elephant Island. It took three months and several attempts, but on August 30, 1916, he finally reached them. Remarkably, all 22 men were still alive and in good health.
The ship’s captain, Frank Worsely said, “Shackleton’s spirits were wonderfully irrepressible considering the heartbreaking reverses he has had to put up with and the frustration of all his hopes for this year at least. One would think he had never a care on his mind & he is the life & soul of half the skylarking and fooling in the ship.”
Years after its ill-fated journey, the Endurance ship became legendary. Many historians and wreck hunters sought to discover where the craft had ultimately met its fate.
Numerous books, four movies, and an impressive exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History retold the story of the Endurance, inspiring a few brave adventurers to seek out the wreck themselves.