Ernest Shackleton's Endurance
Ill-fated ship found in Antarctica's Weddell Sea
9 March 2022
A crew of 46 and a 64-member expedition team sailed from Cape Town on Saturday 5th February, 2022, on an icebreaker named Agulhas II, bound for the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, to find Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated ship, Endurance.
Crushed by pack ice in 1915, during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914–1917, Endurance eventually sank in the waters of the Weddell, leading to one of history's most epic survival missions which saw every man eventually rescued, and not a single fatality.
In what was difficult expedition due to shifting ice, the team experienced some favourable conditions and discovered Endurance on the sea bed at a depth of just over 3000 metres. They had combed a search area for two weeks before finally spotting the ship. The finding on 5th March coincided with the 100th anniversary of Shackleton's funeral.
The wreck of Endurance has been designated monument status under the Atlantic Treaty, so she must not be disturbed in any way. The crew sent submersible equipment to record images of the ship, which has been remarkably well preserved in the icy waters of the Weddell sea, and looks much the same as her last photographs taken 107 years ago.
See more images here
Read more about Shackleton, the legendary explorer, through this interactive presentation