Endurance (Shackleton)
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:26 pm
The Endurance, of the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-16, was built in 1912 by Framnes Mek. Verks, at Sandefjord, and engined by Akers of Christiania. Her gross tonnage was 348 on dimensions 140ft. x 26.4ft. x 14.1ft., and she was the typical Norwegian whaler type of vessel, barquentine-rigged and launched 1912, as Polaris, a 3-masted barquentine with auxiliary steam for polar tourism and polar bear hunting!
Purchased by Shackleton and renamed Endurance. She was ready to sail under the direction of Sir Ernest Shackleton, C.V.O., on August 1, 1914. When the Naval mobilisation order was published on August 3, Shackleton, with the consent of the crew, offered the services of the ship and her crew to the Government. However, the Admiralty did not think the war would last longer than six months and Sir Ernest was told to go ahead with his Antarctic plans.
The Endurance carried a crew of 27 men in addition to the scientific staff. She sailed after Shackleton had been received by the King and assured of his Majesty's approval of the expedition. On this expedition a new coastline was discovered which Sir Ernest named Caird Coast in honour of Sir James Caird, who had subscribed £24,000 towards the cost of the expedition. Like the Deutschland, the Endurance was caught in pack ice, but the conditions were more severe than those experienced by the German ship. The British vessel was trapped on January 19, 1915, and crushed on October 27, 1915, finally sinking beneath the ice 25 days later.
The crew took to the ice, which drifted across the Weddell Sea. When it was obvious the pack ice was breaking up, they took to the ship's boats which had been saved when the Endurance went down and on April 16, reached Elephant Island.
What followed is an epic of the Antarctic—how Sir Ernest Shackleton left 22 men on Elephant Island, while he chose five men to accompany him in an open boat (the James Caird) to cross 800 miles of Antarctic seas to bring food and relief to the shipwrecked crew. Having successfully accomplished the almost impossible in a voyage of a fortnight, a mountain range of three ridges had to be crossed, one 5,000ft. high and covered in ice with dangerous precipices, before civilisation could be reached. It took them 36hrs. to overcome this obstacle. Eventually, Sir Ernest was able to effect the rescue of the Endurance's crew on Elephant Island, but it was not until several attempts had been made by the whaler, Southern Sky, the Uruguayan Government trawler Institute de Pesca, the British schooner Emma, and the Chilean Navy tender Yelcho, all led by Shackleton, that a way through the ice was found and the crew were picked up 41/2 months after their leader had left them. During the whole of that time Shackleton had thought of nothing but their relief.
Detail from BAT philatelic
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton 1874-1922
Expeditions: British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-04 in Discovery. British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09 in Nimrod. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17 in Endurance. Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition 1921-22 in Quest. Discoveries: Beardmore Glacier, South Magnetic Pole, Caird Coast.
Voyage: British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17.
Aus Ant SG45, Brit Ant SG75,249 Chile 1375 Fal Is Dep SG G34 Ross Dep SG36 South Georgia SG32.
Purchased by Shackleton and renamed Endurance. She was ready to sail under the direction of Sir Ernest Shackleton, C.V.O., on August 1, 1914. When the Naval mobilisation order was published on August 3, Shackleton, with the consent of the crew, offered the services of the ship and her crew to the Government. However, the Admiralty did not think the war would last longer than six months and Sir Ernest was told to go ahead with his Antarctic plans.
The Endurance carried a crew of 27 men in addition to the scientific staff. She sailed after Shackleton had been received by the King and assured of his Majesty's approval of the expedition. On this expedition a new coastline was discovered which Sir Ernest named Caird Coast in honour of Sir James Caird, who had subscribed £24,000 towards the cost of the expedition. Like the Deutschland, the Endurance was caught in pack ice, but the conditions were more severe than those experienced by the German ship. The British vessel was trapped on January 19, 1915, and crushed on October 27, 1915, finally sinking beneath the ice 25 days later.
The crew took to the ice, which drifted across the Weddell Sea. When it was obvious the pack ice was breaking up, they took to the ship's boats which had been saved when the Endurance went down and on April 16, reached Elephant Island.
What followed is an epic of the Antarctic—how Sir Ernest Shackleton left 22 men on Elephant Island, while he chose five men to accompany him in an open boat (the James Caird) to cross 800 miles of Antarctic seas to bring food and relief to the shipwrecked crew. Having successfully accomplished the almost impossible in a voyage of a fortnight, a mountain range of three ridges had to be crossed, one 5,000ft. high and covered in ice with dangerous precipices, before civilisation could be reached. It took them 36hrs. to overcome this obstacle. Eventually, Sir Ernest was able to effect the rescue of the Endurance's crew on Elephant Island, but it was not until several attempts had been made by the whaler, Southern Sky, the Uruguayan Government trawler Institute de Pesca, the British schooner Emma, and the Chilean Navy tender Yelcho, all led by Shackleton, that a way through the ice was found and the crew were picked up 41/2 months after their leader had left them. During the whole of that time Shackleton had thought of nothing but their relief.
Detail from BAT philatelic
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton 1874-1922
Expeditions: British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-04 in Discovery. British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09 in Nimrod. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17 in Endurance. Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition 1921-22 in Quest. Discoveries: Beardmore Glacier, South Magnetic Pole, Caird Coast.
Voyage: British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17.
Aus Ant SG45, Brit Ant SG75,249 Chile 1375 Fal Is Dep SG G34 Ross Dep SG36 South Georgia SG32.