Bid to find Shackleton’s lost ship

Antarctic explorers are trying to find the wreck of Ernest Shackleton’s famous ship Endurance, which sank in 1915 during his ill-fated attempt to reach the South Pole

Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) Escape across Southern Ocean regarded as epic feat of survival

Endurance 44m-long steam yacht lost 3,000m under Weddell Sea

South Pole
ANTARCTICA

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BRITISH TRANS-ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION (1914-1916)

1 South Georgia
1 Dec 5, 1914: Endurance departs South Georgia in attempt to complete first land crossing of Antarctica

2
2 Jan 18, 1915: Ship trapped in ice

3
3 Feb-Oct: Drifts in pack ice

4
4. Nov 21: Endurance, crushed by ice, sinks

5
5 Nov 1915-Apr 1916: Crew eventually reaches Elephant Island in lifeboats

6
6 Apr-May 1916: Shackleton and five men sail 1,300km to South Georgia to seek help

7
7 Aug 1916: Rest of crew rescued and taken to Chile


SOUTHERN OCEAN
WEDDELL SEA
Larsen C ice shelf
400km 250 miles
Elephant Island
ANTARCTICA
Antarctic Peninsula

SA Agulhas II:              
13,700-tonne icebreaker to deploy                      
Hugin 6000 Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle to scan seafloor for sunken ship

Operating depth: 6,000m
Length: 6.2m
Speed: 6 knots 11km/h


Sources:  Weddell Sea Expedition 2019, Ocean Infinity, Encyclopedia Britannica
Pictures: Getty Images, Weddell Sea Expedition, Frank Hurley
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