The photo Vincent had on his phone was the first of the ship since Shackleton photographer Frank Hurley’s famous photos of the Endurance being ravaged by ice.
Endurance Hunting for Wrecks
Battling sea ice and freezing temperatures, a team of explorers and researchers have tracked down Ernest Shackleton’s ship, which sank in Antarctica in 1915.
- Historic moment: The discovery was announced on March 9. The wreck was located on the bottom of the Weddell Sea using underwater drones.
- Shipment: Endurance22 began their investigation in February. Part of the team were researchers studying Antarctic ice and global warming.
- Lush Garden: After the discovery, marine biologists scanned images of the wreck. This could help determine which species live there and if any are new.
- From the file: Read the Telegram report on the loss of the ship sent by Shackleton after he fled to safety in the Falkland Islands.
Four days later, the discovery of the world was announced, along with the posting of some photos and a short video. The Endurance, whose sinking led to one of the greatest stories of leadership and survival in the history of exploration, when Shackleton and his 27 men escaped to safety, was in relatively pristine condition, his name still engraved on the stern, the glass still intact and the portholes. , seals still visible between the hull planks.
Bound, whose archaeological credits include the unearthing of a 2,600-year-old Etruscan ship in Italy, described the remains of the Endurance as “by far the most beautiful wooden wreck I have ever seen.”
Funded by an anonymous donor of more than $10 million, the expedition left South Africa in early February aboard the icebreaker Agulhas II and arrived at the search site on February 16, an area of 150 square miles based on the last known position of Endurance. , which was chosen by Shackleton’s captain and navigator Frank Worsley.
An earlier expedition three years earlier ended in failure when technicians lost contact with the underwater drone and it was not recovered.
This time the expedition had two newer drones, one main and one backup, which were flat, torpedo-like pieces of equipment approximately 13 feet long and 5 feet wide with thrusters that allowed them to move in all directions.
