From the fictional Phileas Fogg and TinTin to Christopher Columbus, Darwin and Marco Polo, these men travelled the world and experienced new cultures, civilisations and inspired us to all become great explorers. Here we take a look at one explorer who became famous for the many efforts he made ra ther than reaching the end goal, which he never did achieve. Renewed interest in his epic adventures has been reignited recently following the discovery of his sunken ship the ‘Endurance’ which was found at the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean recently, years after many searches to find it failed. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was born in 1874 in Ireland and died the other end of the world in 1922 in Grytviken, South Georgia. Shackleton is best known as a polar explorer taking 4 expeditions down to the Antarctica. The Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition in (1914–16) never reached the Antarctic but became famous for its incredible story of perseverance and survival. An experienced maritime sailor, his expeditions to the South Pole are legendary. In 1901 he was 3rd Lieutenant on-board Capt. Robert Falcon Scott’s British National Antarctic (Discovery) Expedition and together with Scott and Edward Wilson, he took a sledge journey across the Ross Ice Shelf reaching the furthest southern point anyone had ever travelled.
In 1908 he returned to Antarctica as leader of the British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition. Another sledging attempt led by Shackleton reached within 97 nautical miles (180km) of the South Pole, followed by another attempt that reached the south magnetic pole. The expedition saw the 1st ascent of Mount Erebus. Upon returning to England, Shackleton was knighted and was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. In 1914 Shakleton captained the British Imperial TransAntarctic Expedition. The journey would cross Antarctica from a base on the Weddell Sea to McMurdo Sound, via the South Pole. However the ship, the ‘Endurance’ became trapped in ice off the Caird coast and drifted for 10 months before being crushed in the pack ice.
The crew of the expedition then drifted on ice floes for 5 months and finally escaped in boats to Elephant Island in the Sout h Shetland Islands, living off seal meat, penguins, and their dogs. Shackleton and 5 others saile d 800 miles (1,300km) to the island of South Georgia in a whale boat, which took 16-days across a dangerous stretch of ocean. Shackleton was then able to get help and over the next 4 months he was able to rescue the remaining crew, all still alive on Eleph ant Island. Such an experience did not deter Shakleton’s desire to reach the South Pole. He returned to England and served in the British Army during World War I, but was off to explore again in 1921 in a 4th attempt to reach his prized goal; the South Po le. The ship ‘Quest’ was home for the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, but it was not to be. Shackleton died in Grytviken, South Georgia on the outward journey.
