In 1915, Earnest Shackleton's ship, Endurance, was crushed by the ice while Shackleton and his crew were attempting to be the first to cross Antarctica by land.
The ship was abandoned and the crew continued in smaller boats – making a historic journey across Antartica to the remote Elephant Island before fashioning a lifeboat for Shackleton and several others to sail hundreds of miles for help.
But this past Saturday, on the 100th Anniversary of Shackleton's funeral (!!!), the ship Endurance was discovered 3,008 meters deep in the Weddell Sea in almost perfectly preserved condition.
Watch this video that has amazing footage of the well-preserved boat:
The discovery is truly one-of-a-kind. Both for its historical significance and for the quality of the discovery.
Here's the last photo we have before the Endurance sunk beneath the ice:
Endurance22 is the team that went on the search for the sunken vessel, and they tracked it down and photographed it 100 years after the heroic Captain Shackleton's death.
From HistoryHit:
In footage captured by the Endurance22 team using submersible vehicles, Endurance can be seen in exquisite detail, with coils of rope draped across the deck, the ship's wheel stood upright and the brass ‘Endurance' lettering emblazoned upon the stern, still shimmering after a century underwater.
Mensun Bound, Endurance22's Director of Exploration, said of the discovery, "we are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance. This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact and in a brilliant state of preservation."
Preserved almost perfectly for 100 years. It seems like Endurance was a pretty apt name for the vessel!
If you forget the wreck, that is.
Here's some more historic background from HistoryHit:
Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917) hoped to accomplish the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent. The plan was to sail from South Georgia to Antarctica's Vahsel Bay. From there, the men would travel by dog sleds and on foot to the Ross Sea, on the opposite side of the Antarctic landmass, via the South Pole.
On 5 December 1914, Ernest Shackleton departed from South Georgia for Antarctica, despite warnings from whalers in South Georgia that the Weddell Sea would be unnavigable due to the thick ice coverage that year.
Soon after, on 18 January 1915, Endurance became trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea. She endured 10 months wedged within the pack, until an increase in pressure forced the ship's stern into the air and tore off its rudder. Endurance sank on 21 November 1915.
The stranded crew then endured a treacherous journey across land, ice and sea back to South Georgia and civilisation. All 28 men survived. Endurance remained unseen, lost in the icy waters of the Weddell Sea, for nearly 107 years.
Here's an interview from SkyNews with one of the crew members:
According to the BBC:
The wreck itself is a designated monument under the international Antarctic Treaty and must not be disturbed in any way. No physical artefacts have therefore been brought to the surface.
Unfortunately, they can't legally retrieve anything from the ship, but still, the discovery is absolutely awesome.
Even Elon Musk recognizes how interesting this find is:
This is no surprise, however, since Elon Musk has in the past referenced Shackleton and his call for explorers unafraid to die.
Going to Mars reads like that ad for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know, it's dangerous, it's uncomfortable, it's a long journey, you might not come back alive. But it's a glorious adventure, and it will be an amazing experience.
You probably won't have good food. If an arduous and dangerous journey where you may not come back alive—but it's a glorious adventure—sounds appealing, Mars is the place. That's the ad. That's the ad for Mars. Honestly, a bunch of people probably will die in the beginning. It's tough sledding over there. We're not going to make anyone go. It's volunteers only.
A discovery like this helps us to better understand the history of explorers in the not too distant past and it helps us to admire men today, like Elon, who still have that spirit of discovery in them.
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