Historical ‘Endurance’ Shipwreck Discovered in Antarctica

In one of the most significant undersea discoveries ever made, a search expedition has located the Endurance ship 107 years after it sank in Antarctica.

Endurance was the ship used by famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. During Shackleton’s expedition in 1915, The Endurance got trapped in a dense ice pack and Shackleton and the crew had no choice but to abandon the ship.

Their following struggle to return home and survive the Antarctic’s brutal environment became known as one of the greatest feats of tenacity and adventure in modern history.

The wreckage was found by the Endurance22 search expedition 3,008 meters (9,868 feet) below the surface of the Weddell Sea, approximately four miles south of where Endurance’s captain recorded its coordinates back in 1915.

The Director of Exploration on the Endurance22 expedition, Mensun Bound, said in a statement, “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance. This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen.”

He added, “You can even see ‘Endurance’ arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail. This is a milestone in polar history.”

The Endurance wreckage will be protected as a historic site and monument while it is surveyed, filmed and researched.

Bound said, “We hope our discovery will engage young people and inspire them with the pioneering spirit, courage and fortitude of those who sailed Endurance to Antarctica.