Shackleton 'knew' Endurance was too weak to survive ice

SIR Ernest Shackleton was “well aware” of structural weaknesses to his ship Endurance before it sank, suggests new research.

- By Stephen Beech

The polar explorer and a crew of 27 men sailed for the Antarctic on the three-masted ship in 1914.

But disaster struck when Endurance, originally named Polaris, became trapped in pack ice before sinking in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica on November 21, 1915. Miraculously, all of the crew survived her sinking and camped on the sea ice until it disintegrated.

They then launched Endurance’s lifeboats to reach Elephant Island before Shackleton, the ship’s Captain Frank Worsley, and four other men made an epic 720-nautical mile voyage to seek help. The crew were rescued in 1916.

The wreck of Endurance was discovered in March 2022, nearly 107 years after she sank, by the search team Endurance22.

The wreck is designated as a protected historic site and monument under the Antarctic Treaty System.

But a study suggests that Irish-born Shackleton knew that Endurance had shortcomings that made it “notably less robust” before setting sail.

Romantic

The study, published in the journal Polar Record, includes both technical analysis and research into diaries and correspondence, shedding new light on Shackleton and the expedition.