Hunt begins: Expedition sets out for Antarctic Endurance shipwreck
Sir Ernest Shackleton's trans-Antarctic expedition "Endurance." (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
by French Press Agency - AFP
Feb 08, 2022 5:00 pm


It's not only Captain Jack Sparrow that hunts mysterious ships, as a South African icebreaker has set out on a quest to find Ernest Shackleton's famed historical ship Endurance, which sank off the coast of Antarctica in 1915 after being slowly crushed by pack ice.

"The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust is pleased to confirm that the Endurance22 Expedition, which is aiming to locate, survey and film the wreck of Endurance ... has departed on schedule from Cape Town, headed for the Weddell Sea in Antarctica," the expedition's organizers announced.

As part of the renowned polar explorer's Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition between 1914 and 1917, Endurance was meant to make the first land crossing of Antarctica, but it fell victim to the merciless Weddell Sea.

Australian photographer Frank Hurley takes a photograph under the bows of the "Endurance." (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
The "Endurance" frozen on ice. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
The deck of the frozen "Endurance." (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
The frozen "Endurance" can be seen in the distance, 1915. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)

Just east of the Larsen ice shelves on the Antarctic peninsula, it became ensnared in sea-ice for over 10 months before being crushed and sinking some 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) below the surface.

The voyage is something of a legend, due to the miraculous escape Shackleton and his crew made on foot and in boats.

The crew managed to escape by camping on the sea ice until it ruptured.

They then launched lifeboats to Elephant Island and then South Georgia Island, a British overseas territory that lies around 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) east of the Falkland Islands.

The South African icebreaker S.A. Agulhas II set off from Cape Town on Saturday morning with a crew of 46 and a 64-member expedition team aboard, including scientists from top international institutions.

The pink glow of the rising sun shines on the frozen "Endurance," in Antarctica, July 26, 1915. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
The rigging of the frozen "Endurance" encrusted with rime crystals, in Antarctica. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
A failed attempt to haul "Endurance" lifeboats over the ice to Graham Land. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
The "Endurance" frozen in Weddell Sea. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)

Tough undersea search

"The preparation has been comprehensive, although not without its challenge, including COVID," said Donald Lamont, chairperson of the organizers. But "the team has remained nimble and determined and this has brought us to where we are today."

The expedition will last for 35 days and 45 days, with the vessel navigating through heavy ice and harsh temperatures.

It hopes to find the iconic shipwreck with state-of-the-art technology, explore it with two underwater drones and also undertake scientific studies, which could help further gain knowledge around ice conditions and climate change.

Dog teams scout a way to the land across the rough sea ice, in Antarctica. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
Sir Ernest Shackleton's party at dinner. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
Sledge dogs of "Endurance" can be seen in igloos after the ship had been frozen in. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
Sir Ernest Shackleton's James Caird sails from Elephant Island to South Georgia to get relief for the marooned party of "Endurance." (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)

However, the journey will be a difficult one.

The Anglo-Irish explorer himself even described the site of the sink as "the worst portion of the worst sea in the world."

The 144-foot-long ship sank in the Weddell Sea, which has a swirling current that sustains a mass of thick sea ice that can cause problems even for modern ice breakers.

It is one of the hardest parts of the ocean to navigate.

Endurance22's director of exploration, Mensun Bound, said in a statement that his team "very much hope we can do justice to this magnificent chapter in polar exploration."

Penguins can be seen in South Georgia. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
Members of the "Endurance" party party living down below after their ship had become frozen in the Weddell Sea. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
Life on the ice of the Weddell Sea after the "Endurance" was abandoned. (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)
Bow of the frozen-in "Endurance." (Photo courtesy of New South Wales State Library)

If they find it, it will be left untouched but they will do a 3D scan of it and broadcast it in real-time.

Despite the optimism, there is no guarantee the 110-year-old ship will be located.

"In terms of shipwreck challenges, it is the most difficult," David Mearns, one of the world's leading shipwreck hunters, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "You won't get any more difficult than this because of the ice conditions."

The history of the "Endurance" can be explored through an extensive gallery that can be found on New South Wales State Library.