Endurance (1912 ship)

The Endurance was a three-masted barquentine used by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men during the 1914–1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It was built at the Framnæs shipyard and launched in 1912 from Sandefjord in Norway. Shackleton bought it in January 1914 for his trip to the Antarctic.

During the trip, the Endurance got stuck in pack ice and sank on 21 November 1915 in the Weddell Sea near Antarctica. All the crew members lived. They used the ship's boats to reach Elephant Island. Shackleton, the ship's captain Frank Worsley, and four others made a voyage to seek help to bring rescue.

The wreck of the Endurance was found on 5 March 2022, almost 107 years after it sank. It rests about 3,008 metres deep and is very well preserved. The site is protected under the Antarctic Treaty System.

Design and construction

Designed by Ole Aanderud Larsen, Endurance was built at the Framnæs shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway. The ship was launched on December 17, 1912, and was first named Polaris after the North Star. It was 144 feet long and could hold up to 10 passengers in comfortable rooms.

Endurance was made very strong for tough conditions. Its wooden sides were thick, and its parts were carefully put together for extra strength. The ship had three masts and a steam engine, allowing it to move quickly through the water. At the time, it was one of the strongest wooden ships ever built.

Shackleton purchase

The ship was first named Polaris and built for a Belgian explorer. But there were money problems. Then a Norwegian owner sold it to the explorer Ernest Shackleton in January 1914 for £14,000. Shackleton renamed the ship Endurance after his family motto, "By endurance we conquer."

Shackleton took the ship to London to get ready for his trip. He collected equipment, supplies, and crew members. The ship was painted black instead of white and gold and got new boats for the journey. Endurance left for Plymouth on August 1, 1914.

Voyage

The ship Endurance began its journey from Plymouth on August 8, 1914, heading toward Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sir Ernest Shackleton, the leader of the expedition, stayed in Britain to finish preparations. This trip was the first big voyage for Endurance after it was built.

Endurance left Buenos Aires on October 26, 1914, and sailed to Grytviken on South Georgia island, arriving on November 5. It then set off toward the southern regions of the Weddell Sea. Two days after leaving South Georgia, the ship encountered thick pack ice, which slowed its progress. By January 15, 1915, Endurance was close to its destination but was stopped by heavy ice and a storm. The ship took shelter behind a large iceberg but was eventually trapped in the ice.

The crew tried to cut a path through the ice, but it was too difficult. The ship was forced to drift with the ice. In July 1915, a strong storm broke up some of the ice, but Endurance remained trapped.

In October, the ice began to open up, and the crew tried to move the ship, but they could not. On October 24, the ship was damaged by pressure from the ice, causing flooding. Shackleton ordered the crew to leave the ship on October 27. Over the next few days, they saved supplies from the sinking ship. By November 21, the remaining parts of Endurance broke apart and sank into the ocean.

Aftermath

See also: Voyage of the James Caird

After waiting on the ice, the crew moved to Elephant Island in three small boats from the Endurance. The island was far away and not often visited, so Shackleton decided they needed help. On April 24, he, Worsley, and four others left in a boat called James Caird to reach South Georgia. From there, Shackleton tried to organize a rescue for the crew left behind.

Their first three rescue attempts failed because of the ice. But the fourth try, using a boat called Yelcho from Chile, succeeded. On August 30, 1916, all twenty-two crew members were safely brought off Elephant Island, 128 days after Shackleton had left. They made sure to take all their records and photos, which were important for paying for the expedition. The commander of Yelcho, Luis Pardo, became a hero in Chile.

Wreck

In 1998, people thought they found pieces from a ship called Endurance on an island, but they were from an older ship. In 2022, a team found the real Endurance wreck in the Weddell Sea. It was almost 3,000 meters deep and in very good shape. The team took pictures and videos but did not take anything from the ship because it is protected. They shared what they learned with students all over the world.

Discovery

The Endurance wreck was found on March 5, 2022. It was at a depth of 3,008 meters. The ship's name is still clearly seen on the back. The team did not take anything from the wreck and kept it protected. They used special technology to make detailed images of the ship.

Crew

The ship Endurance had a crew of 28 men, including the leader Sir Ernest Shackleton. They also had a cat named Mrs Chippy and many dogs for pulling sleds. When the ship got stuck in ice, some of the younger dogs could not be taken along, so tough choices had to be made.

The crew included important people like:

• Sir Ernest Shackleton, expedition leader
• Frank Wild, second-in-command
• Frank Worsley, captain and navigator
• Lionel Greenstreet, first officer
• Tom Crean, second officer
• Alfred Cheetham, third officer
• Hubert Hudson, navigator
• Lewis Rickinson, engineer
• Alexander Kerr, engineer
• Alexander Macklin, surgeon
• James McIlroy, surgeon
• Sir James Wordie, geologist
• Leonard Hussey, meteorologist
• Reginald James, physicist
• Robert Clark, biologist
• Frank Hurley, photographer
• George Marston, artist
• Thomas Orde-Lees, motor expert and storekeeper
• Harry "Chippy" McNish, carpenter
• Charles Green, cook
• Walter How, able seaman
• William Bakewell, able seaman
• Timothy McCarthy, able seaman
• Thomas McLeod, able seaman
• John Vincent, boatswain
• Ernest Holness, stoker
• William Stephenson, stoker
• Perce Blackborow, steward

Legacy

Two Antarctic patrol ships of the Royal Navy were named after Shackleton's ship, the Endurance. The first, HMS Endurance, was launched in 1956 and worked as an ice patrol and survey ship until 1986. The second HMS Endurance was bought from Norway in 1991 and served as an icebreaker.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance and a polar cruise ship launched by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic in 2021 were also named to honor Shackleton's voyage. In 2024, LEGO released a set based on the Endurance for Black Friday.