![]() That would be fascinating – that would give more insight into what was their thinking and why did they decide to leave certain things behind.” What would be interesting is what they did leave behind, what articles or what pieces of personal items, or ship equipment they couldn’t take with them. “They abandoned ship in October, so they had quite a bit of time to retrieve bits and pieces,” he said. “There might be artifacts left behind which would be absolutely extraordinary,” he said. There are stories that photographer Frank Hurley broke glass plates that the crew weren’t going to take with them, but that other stories say boxes of plates were left on board. He’s curious about what might still be on board. He said that it’s incredible to be able to see the ship in place because no one was sure how much of it had survived after it was crushed by ice. “The images I’ve seen so far are extraordinary,” he said. John O’Reilly of the Shackleton Exhibition told The Journal that the discovery was “something that nobody really expected”. Shackleton and his crew set out to achieve the first land crossing of Antarctica but Endurance did not reach land and became trapped in dense pack ice, forcing the 28 men on board to eventually abandon ship. “We have also conducted an unprecedented educational outreach programme, 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.” He said: “In addition, we have undertaken important scientific research in a part of the world that directly affects the global climate and environment. You can even see ‘Endurance’ arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail.ĭr John Shears, the expedition leader, said his team, which was accompanied by historian Dan Snow, had made “polar history” by completing what he called “the world’s most challenging shipwreck search”. “It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation. Mensun Bound said: “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance. The expedition’s director of exploration said footage of Endurance showed it to be intact and “by far the finest wooden shipwreck” he has seen. “It’s important for the kids to read about that and learn about it, and be inspired by local heroes,” she said. She said she hopes the discovery will revitalise interest in the Tom Crean story and that of the other Irish men involved in Antarctic exploration. ![]() “It would be wonderful if it had happened in my mum and aunts’ lifetime,” said Crean O’Brien, as her mother was the daughter of Tom Crean. Nothing can be raised from the spot, she said, but the fact the ship is still so intact showed how well made it was. “Even with that, the conditions down there are so severe. She said that she hopes the discovery will bring further attention to the fact that three of the crew on board the Endurance were Irish – Crean, Shackleton and Cork man Tim McCarthy.Ĭrean O’Brien said that conditions in the area are tough, and that a couple of weeks ago the crew that found the wreck got stuck in the ice themselves, while on board a South African ice breaker. It’s fantastic that new technology has allowed this to happen and just to see the image of it in the video, it’s so pristine. The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust said Endurance was found at a depth of 3,008 metres and approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded by the ship’s captain Frank Worsley.Īileen Crean O’Brien, granddaughter of Tom Crean, the renowned Irish explorer who was on board the Endurance, told The Journal: “It’s so exciting. The wooden ship had not been seen since it went down in the Weddell Sea in 1915, and in February the Endurance22 Expedition set off from Cape Town, South Africa, a month after the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s death on a mission to locate it. THE WRECK OF renowned polar explorer and Kildare man Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance has been found 107 years after it became trapped in sea ice and sank off the coast of Antarctica. ![]()
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