The wreck of HMS Endurance has been found upright, intact and “in a brilliant state of preservation” at a depth of 10,000 feet off the Antarctic coast more than a century after it was crushed by ice in 1915.
Mensun Bound, director of exploration for the Endurance 22 expedition that discovered the vessel that British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton took to the Southern Ocean, said in a press release, “You can even see ‘ENDURANCE’ arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail. This is a milestone in polar history.”
The image shows the ship’s name above a five-pointed star. Shackleton left the star in place when he took control of the former Polaris and renamed it. The icy waters also appear to have preserved the ship from deterioration caused by wood-eating microorganisms as images of the stern appear to show.
The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust confirmed the discovery Tuesday of the 144-foot wooden vessel that sank in the icy Weddell Sea.
Bound paid tribute to the navigational skills of Frank Worsely, whose precise records were essential to the discovery of Endurance four miles south of its last logged position. The ship’s sinking after being trapped in thick, long-lasting sea ice set the stage for one of the most memorable tales of survival in Arctic and Antarctic exploration.
Shackleton and the 27 other men aboard Endurance were about 100 miles from their intended landing spot to achieve the first land crossing of Antarctica from the Weddell Sea via the South Pole to the Ross Sea when it was trapped in ice and eventually snak.
The Endurance 22 expedition set out from Cape Town in February, hoping to make the discovery in the 100th anniversary year of Shackleton’s death. Using the ship’s logs, the 65-member expedition worked a 150-square-mile area with battery-powered Saab Sabertooth submersible drones, first using sonar and later camera. Aircraft were also used in the search.
‘“This has been the most complex subsea project ever undertaken, with several world records achieved to ensure the safe detection of Endurance. State-of-the-art subsea technologies have been deployed to achieve this successful outcome,” Nico Vincent, subsea program manager, said a statement.
The 1959 Antarctic Treaty designates these waters as part of a maritime trust and shipwrecks as historic monuments. After the position of the wreck was identified, cameras were installed on the submersibles. The submersibles did not come in contact with the wreck, expedition researchers said in several statements.
The South African icebreaker Agulhas II was employed for the search.
News accounts put the cost of the expedition at $10 million with the funds coming from an unnamed donor.
After the Endurance was trapped, Shackleton and a companion traveled 800 miles to South Georgia Island to get help, while the rest of the crew stayed behind on the ice and built a camp. After 128 days, Shackleton returned with a rescue party, and the entire crew survived.
Among the scientific projects carried out this year was a study of the changing nature of sea ice as climate changes affect the polar regions.
Endurance 22 Expedition leader John Shears added in the statement, “We have also conducted an unprecedented educational outreach program, with live broadcasting from onboard, allowing new generations from around the world to engage with Endurance 22 and become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together.”
National Geographic will air its documentary on the discovery this fall on Disney Plus and other streaming networks.
