Endurance Is Found!

The word "legendary" gets thrown around liberally these days, but every boater worth their salt should know the story of expedition leader Sir Ernest Shackleton and the three-masted barquentine Endurance. And there's no better time to recount that sea story since the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust announced in February the trust-funded Endurance22 Expedition has located the wreck of Endurance, Shackleton's ship, which has not been seen since it sank in Antarctica's Weddell Sea in 1915.

The announcement comes notably 100 years after Shackleton's death. Endurance was found at a depth of nearly 1.9 miles, approximately 4 miles south of the last position originally recorded in 1915 by Captain Frank Worsley.

Portrait of Ernest Shackleton before 1909.

"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," says maritime archeologist Mensun Bound, a director on the expedition. "You can even see 'Endurance' arced across the stern."

The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust used the expedition to develop a school curriculum to bring the story of Shackleton, of exploration, and of the Antarctic environment to new, young, and global audiences while modern explorers scoured the ocean floor in search of Endurance.

"We have also conducted an unprecedented educational outreach program, with live broadcasting from on board, allowing new generations from around the world to engage with Endurance22 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," says expedition leader John Shears.

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17

If you're still reading this and wondering, 'Who's this Shackleton guy, and what did he do that was so incredible?' this part is for you. Shackleton was an Irish explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic during a period known as the "Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration" in the early 20th century.

It was Shackleton's ambition to complete the first land crossing of Antarctica from the Weddell Sea via the South Pole to the Ross Sea. Unfortunately, Endurance never reached land, becoming trapped in the Weddell Sea in the dense pack ice. After surviving on board the beset ship for 10 months, a pressure ripple in the ice broke off the stern and freezing water came pouring in. The 28 men on board eventually had no choice but to abandon ship. They set up a makeshift camp on the ice floes drifting northward, waiting for months for a weather window.

In April, the entire crew set off in three lifeboats for an exhausting six-day voyage to desolate Elephant Island. From there, Shackleton, Capt. Worsley, and four others set off on what is considered one of the greatest small-boat journeys ever completed: sailing the 22.5-foot lifeboat James Caird some 800 miles over 16 days through the Southern Ocean's notorious "Furious Fifties" to reach South Georgia. The concept of making such a long open-sea crossing in a canopy-topped wooden lifeboat with only primitive navigation tools seems inconceivable to us today. Shackleton and two others then had to cross the mountainous island to the whaling station on the other side. Shackleton was eventually able to mount a rescue of the men waiting on Elephant Island. Astonishingly, he brought them home after a long 22 months in brutal living conditions — without the loss of a single crewman.

Beyond the school curriculum and live interaction with students in classrooms, some serious scientific research was conducted as part of the expedition.

Lasse Rabenstein, Endurance22's chief scientist, conducted hundreds of hours of climate change related studies over the duration of the expedition. Representatives from the South African Weather Service, German firm Drift & Noise, Aalto University in Finland, and South Africa's Stellenbosch University researched the ice drifts, weather conditions of the Weddell Sea, studies of sea ice thickness, and were able to map the sea ice from space. Combined, these important studies will help scientists understanding of this remote region and how it influences our changing climate.

Exclusive Documentary

The team has also been filming for a long-form observational documentary chronicling the expedition, which has been commissioned by National Geographic to air later this year.

Set to premiere Fall 2022 as part of National Geographic's EXPLORER series, this documentary event will air globally on National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages before it heads to Disney+. An in-depth story about the finding of Endurance, including its historical relevance, is available on Natgeo.com now.

There are numerous accounts of Shackleton's exploits both in print and on screen. "Endurance," by Alfred Lansing [designate the BoatUS Foundation as your supporting organization], is considered a definitive print account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip. Documentaries include "Shackleton's Captain" (Amazon Prime) and "Chasing Shackleton" (PBS.org). For a fictionalized version, try "Shackleton," a 2002 British television film starring Kenneth Branagh as Shackleton (Apple TV).