In January 1915, Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was trapped in the pack ice of Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. For nine months the ice held it, and then it crushed it. The 28 men abandoned ship in October, and in November Endurance sank.
They camped on the drifting ice for about five months, then took to the lifeboats and reached Elephant Island in April 1916.
From there, Shackleton and five others sailed about 800 miles in an open boat, the James Caird, to South Georgia. Then Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean crossed the island’s mountains on foot in about 36 hours to reach the whaling station at Stromness.
It took four attempts to reach the men left on Elephant Island. On August 30, 1916, the Yelcho got through, and every one of them was brought home alive.
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- Endurance was trapped in pack ice from mid-January 1915, abandoned on October 27, 1915, and sank on November 21, 1915. The Weddell Sea party numbered 28 men. 1
- They camped on the ice from late October 1915 to April 9, 1916 (about five and a half months), then took the lifeboats to Elephant Island, arriving April 14–15. 1
- In the James Caird, Shackleton and five others sailed about 800 miles (1,300 km), launching on April 24 and landing on May 10 on the south coast of South Georgia. 1
- Shackleton, Worsley and Crean crossed the mountains on foot in about 36 hours, reaching Stromness on May 20, 1916: the first confirmed crossing of the island. 1
- After four rescue attempts, the Yelcho reached Elephant Island on August 30, 1916, and all the men were brought home without loss of life. 1
Sources
- Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Wikipedia
Notes
“Nine months” counts from mid-January to October 27, 1915, when the ship was abandoned. “Five months” on the ice counts from late October 1915 to April 9, 1916.
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