I watched Pirates of the Caribbean this year (I know, how did I just watch it) and was curious about wooden ships. Somehow, I had never heard of this story before. At first, it sounded like fiction to me. It’s insane how these things actually happened, all for an adventure
In 1914, explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set off on one of the boldest adventures in history to be the first to walk across the entire continent of Antarctica. But what happened next became one of the greatest survival stories I have ever known. Shackleton’s ship, called the Endurance, was built in Norway in 1912. It was specially designed with thick, strong wood to handle the dangerous ice of the Antarctic.
The plan was to sail to the coast of Antarctica, land there, and then walk across the frozen continent to the other side, something no one had ever done at the time. It was called the Imperial ‘Trans-Antarctic Expedition’. Shackleton had 27 other men with him, 69 dogs, and a tom cat named Mrs. Chippy. I still have not figured out why the crew brought that many animals on board, or if all of them survived. (There was a stowaway that came along.)
In December 1914, the Endurance sailed from South Georgia Island toward Antarctica. But the ice was worse than anyone expected. On January 18, 1915, the ship became completely stuck in thick, frozen sea ice in the Weddell Sea, just one day’s sail from land. The crew was trapped.
For months, the ship drifted with the ice. The men lived on board, waiting for a chance to escape. But the ice only got thicker and stronger
By October 1915, the pressure of the ice was crushing the Endurance. The wooden boat quite literally crushed. They said it groaned, and it constantly made noise. The noise eventually got so bad the crew couldn’t sleep.
On October 27, 1915, Shackleton told the men to abandon ship. They grabbed supplies, dogs, and lifeboats.
Weeks later, on November 21, the Endurance sank beneath the ice. The men were stranded on the ice, hundreds of miles from help. For months, they camped on floating ice, hoping to drift closer to land.
When the ice broke apart in April 1916, they climbed into three small lifeboats and set off through freezing, dangerous seas. I read on history.com, that the waves were over 50 foot and traveled 346 miles, using oars. Talk about an adventure.
After seven hard days at sea, they landed on Elephant Island, a remote, rocky island off Antarctica. But they were still far from rescue. Shackleton knew the only hope was to sail to South Georgia Island, nearly 800 miles away, across one of the roughest oceans on Earth.
On April 24, 1916, Shackleton and five men set off in a small lifeboat called the James Caird. The journey took 16 terrifying days, with huge waves, freezing winds, and constant danger.
Miraculously, they made it to South Georgia. But they landed on the wrong side… the side with no people. Shackleton and two men hiked for 36 hours straight, climbing icy mountains and glaciers, until they reached a whaling station.
It still took over four months and several failed rescue attempts to get back to Elephant Island, but finally, on August 30, 1916, Shackleton rescued his men. Amazingly, every one of the 28 crew members survived. It truly is the definition of so close, but so far.
Do you think survival is more about strength, or endurance?
Wandering Abigail 
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