Shackleton's Endurance Expedition
Failed Antarctic crossing became an epic survival story.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition · see source
Ernest Shackleton, who conceived the undertaking, sought to accomplish the initial overland traverse of the Antarctic landmass.[1] Although the expedition did not achieve its primary goal, it gained fame as a legendary test of perseverance.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Antarctic exploration
- Nationality
- British
- Known for
- Failed transcontinental crossing; survival after shipwreck
- Expedition ships
- Endurance and Aurora
- Leader
- Sir Ernest Shackleton
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Shackleton announced his plans in a letter to The Times on 29 December 1913, after securing a £10,000 grant from the British government.[2] Shackleton designated the enterprise the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, believing it would attract support from people throughout territories under the Union Jack.[3] Before it could get to Vahsel Bay, Endurance got stuck fast in the Weddell Sea's ice.[4] Throughout the 1915 Antarctic winter, the vessel was carried northward while trapped in the pack ice.[4]
The ice ultimately crushed Endurance, causing it to sink and leaving 28 men stranded on the frozen sea.[4] After living in temporary camps for several months, the crew used rescued lifeboats to travel to Elephant Island, which was barren and unoccupied.[4]
What the cited sources add
The Smithsonian Magazine account notes that Shackleton's famous "help wanted" advertisement is probably a myth.[5] One of the earliest references to the ad appears in the 1949 book The 100 Greatest Advertisements.[5] The same source states that Shackleton wrote a letter to the London Times in December 1913 announcing his expedition, but placing a job ad would have been unnecessary given the press coverage.[5] A CNN video report confirms that the wreck of Endurance was located by a team of scientists, historians and filmmakers more than a century after it sank.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shackleton 1919, p. xi. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huntford 1975, pp. 362–363. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fisher 1957, p. 298. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Endurance is Found", Endurance22, 9 March 2022; Fountain, "At the Bottom of an Icy Sea, One of History's Great Wrecks Is Found", The New York Times, 9 March 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Shackleton Probably Never Took Out an Ad Seeking Men for a Hazardous Journey (Smithsonian Magazine). facts only, no text reused. smithsonianmag.com
- "Video: HMS Endurance, Ernest Shackleton's ship found in Antarctic after 107 years - CNN Video", CNN, 9 March 2022. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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