JAKARTA - More than a century after sinking off the coast of Antarctica, the polar cruiser Ernest Shackleton Endurance has been found, in what appears to be intact and in good condition.
The ship, which sank in 1915, is at a depth of 3,008 meters (1.9 miles or 9,842 feet) in the Weddell Sea, a pocket in the Southern Ocean along the northern coast of Antarctica, south of the Falkland Islands.
The discovery is a collaboration between the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and History Hit, a content platform co-founded by historian Dan Snow.
"This is the best wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is erect, very proud of the seabed, intact, and in brilliant preservation condition," said Mensun Bound, director of exploration in a statement.
"This is a polar milestone," he added.
The Irish-British explorer Shackleton had long been obsessed with the South Pole and made a total of four expeditions to the White Continent.
Endurance departed from England in 1914 and reached Antarctica's McMurdo Sound the following year, on a journey called the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
However, due to extreme conditions, the ship was trapped in the thick, impenetrable ice of the Weddell Sea. The 28 men on board, including Shackleton himself, left Endurance and set up a rudimentary camp facility on a drifting ice floe to the north.
Eventually, the team made it to uninhabited Elephant Island, then some, including Shackleton, voluntarily boarded a lifeboat and headed for South Georgia Island, eventually crossing on foot to reach the Stromness whaling station, which was then manned by the Norwegians, and arranged for the rescue of the people. people left on Elephant Island.
Although the expedition failed, the team's survival and eventual rescue months later, without loss of life, was seen as a triumph of their tenacity and Shackleton's extraordinary leadership skills.
After another expedition later on, Shackleton died on South Georgia Island in 1947 and was buried there.
How was Endurance discovered? After being abandoned, Endurance eventually sank into the Weddell Sea, where he had been ever since.
The discovery team departed Cape Town on the South African polar research and logistics vessel, SA Agulhas II. Aptly, they dubbed their ship and mission Endurance22.
Aboard the ship was a mixed group including scientists, historians and filmmakers who shot footage for the upcoming National Geographic documentary about the journey to find Endurance.
Once they got close to what they believed was the shipwreck, the explorers used the Sabertooth hybrid underwater search vehicle made by Saab to find it.
As per the guidelines of the Antarctic Treaty, which was signed by 12 countries in 1959 and is the closest thing to a constitution for the southernmost continent, Endurance will not be moved or separated.
While Shackleton's name and biography are still world-famous, Endurance22's mission focuses on the future as much as the past.
Dr. John Shears, expedition leader, said, "We've also conducted an unprecedented educational outreach program, with live broadcasts from ships, enabling a new generation from around the world to engage with Endurance22 and become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration. And what people can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together."
Instead, he would stay where he was and be studied, mapped and photographed there.
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