More than 100 years ago, one of the largest shipwrecks in history occurred in Antarctica. It is the sinking of the ship HMS Endurance, which belonged to the explorer Ernest Shackleton. It was found on the Antarctic coasts and the most surprising thing is that it is intact.
The sinking of the ship HMS Endurance occurred more than a century ago
The Endurance sank in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, and is more than 3500 meters deep. It sank in November 1915 because the ice crushed it and they could not save it. In the video it can be seen that it is the same as when it sank. The possibility of finding it was offered by a situation that is not so positive. The greatest thinness in the history of Antarctic ice made it possible to locate the ship, which is standing upright on the seabed.
This was reported by marine archaeologist Mensun Bound who worked together with a team of scientists and historians. There were also filmmakers who recorded images for a National Geographic documentary.
A successful search
The search request was made by the Falklands/Malvinas Maritime Heritage Trust. For the operation they used a South African icebreaker named Agulhas II. Its equipment includes submersibles that can be operated from a distance.
The search lasted two weeks, always working in a certain area. The positive results were achieved just for the centenary of Shackleton’s death. After locating him, they spent several days taking photographs of all the details of the ship and its surroundings.
They were able to verify that the ship’s name looks complete and that the greatest damage is in the area where the ship struck the seabed. A great marine diversity inhabits the ship, but it is different from what we can find in the rest of the oceans. There are no wood-eating organisms that would damage the structure of the ship
The story goes that Shackleton intended to cross Antarctica on foot. This project was ruined when the ship HMS Endurance sank. The explorer put his men in a rudimentary camp on Elephant Island as safely as possible. Together with a few men he set off in a lifeboat to seek help. They reached South Georgia Island, crossed it on foot and managed to reach the whaling station of Stromness to ask for the rescue of the rest of his men.
The ship HMS Endurance will remain at the wreck site for study by scientists. There are no plans to dismantle it or to attempt to refloat it for later relocation.
