"World's most difficult shipwreck search" comes to an end
The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance has been found off the coast of Antarctica 107 years after it sank. The lost ship of the Anglo-Irish explorer had not been seen since it was crushed by ice and sank in the Weddell Sea on the 21st of November, 1915.
Last month, the Endurance22 Expedition set off from Cape Town in South Africa on a mission to find the vessel, one month after the 100th anniversary of Sir Ernest’s death.
Endurance was finally spotted at a depth of 3008 metres and some six kilometres south of the position recorded by the ship’s Captain Frank Worsley, according to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.
Even though the wreck has been sitting in water for more than a century, the expedition’s director of exploration said Endurance was “by far the finest wooden shipwreck” he has ever seen.
Mensun Bound, who has now fulfilled a dream ambition in his near 50-year career, said: “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance.
“This is a milestone in polar history.”
The ship is said to look much the same as when it was photographed for the final time by Shackleton’s filmmaker, Frank Hurley, in 1915. The team even spotted some boots and crockery on board.
Mr Bound told the BBC: “Beside the companion way, you can see a porthole that is Shackleton’s cabin.
“We found the wreck a hundred years to the day after Shackleton’s funeral. I don’t usually go with this sort of stuff at all, but this one I found a bit spooky.”
Huge congratulations to @Endurance_22 and @NatGeo for finding the wreck of #Shackleton’s #Endurance. The wreck is amazing but can we also talk about some of the #Antarctic sea floor creatures that now call it home! Add any others you spot to the thread! (1) pic.twitter.com/QULEJkoiW4
— Huw Griffiths (@griffiths_huw) March 9, 2022
Dr John Shears, the expedition leader, described the moment cameras landed on the ship’s name as “jaw-dropping”.
He said: “The discovery of the wreck is an incredible achievement.
“We have successfully completed the world’s most difficult shipwreck search, battling constantly shifting sea-ice, blizzards, and temperatures dropping down to -18C.
“We have achieved what many people said was impossible.”
He added: “In addition, we have undertaken important scientific research in a part of the world that directly affects the global climate and environment.”
Sir Ernest had set out to make the first land crossing of Antarctica - but he had to abandon the quest when Endurance was trapped and holed by sea-ice.
The mission to find the lost ship was launched by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust using a South African icebreaker, Agulhas II - equipped with remotely operated submersibles.
The shipwreck is a designated monument under the international Antarctic Treaty and must not be disturbed in any way.
Deep-sea polar biologist Dr Michelle Taylor from Essex University said: “It would appear that there is little wood deterioration, inferring that the wood-munching animals found in other areas of our ocean are, perhaps unsurprisingly, not in the forest-free Antarctic region.
The icebreaker is now on its way back to Cape Town. The team plan is to make a stop at the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia where Shackleton is buried to pay their respects.
Image: Twitter