Explorer E. Shackleton’s ship Endurance, which sank in 1901, was located at a depth of 3,008 m under the Weddell Sea and is considered the wooden shipwreck that still maintains the best condition.
Endurance’s tail with its name and iconic pole. (Photo from sg.news.yahoo.com)
Explorers on March 9 announced they had discovered the wreck of the legendary explorer’s ship Endurance in Antarctica, after more than a century submerged in the cold ocean.
The Endurance was found at a depth of 3,008 m in the Weddell Sea, about 6 km from the area where the ship was trapped, broken and sunk by icebergs in 1915.
Mr. Mensun Bound – head of the expedition searching for the ship Endurance, expressed his joy when the group was able to determine the location and take pictures of the ship. According to him, this is the best preserved wooden shipwreck he has ever seen.
The expedition, organized by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, left Cape Town (South Africa) on February 5, with an Agulhas II icebreaker, in the hope of finding the Endurance before the end of the season. Summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Explorers used underwater drones to find and film the ship Endurance in the Weddell Sea – where eddies maintain a thick layer of sea ice that challenges even modern icebreakers.
Explorer Shackleton himself described the Endurance sinking site as “the worst part of the world’s worst sea.” To this day, this remains one of the most difficult areas of the ocean to navigate.
Underwater drones recorded clear images of this more than 43 m long ship. Notably, the ship’s rudder is still intact after more than a century submerged in the sea. The ship’s wooden panels, which had been damaged by ice, were still attached.
Anemones, sponges and many ocean creatures have chosen the ship as their home. Under international law, the wreck is protected as a historical site. Explorers are allowed to film and take photos of the ship, but are not allowed to touch the ship.
This means that nothing on the ship can be taken out of the sea. The expedition is now returning to port in Cape Town.
The Endurance ship departed for Antarctica on December 5, 1914, carrying 27 people, 69 dogs, and 1 cat. Expedition leader Shackleton’s aim was to establish a base on the Weddell Coast in Antarctica. Two days after departing, the Endurance entered the floating ice zone – a barrier of thick sea ice surrounding Antarctica.
For several weeks, the ship made its way through the floating ice floes, heading south. However, on January 18, a storm in the North blew the ice onto the mainland, causing it to pile tightly together, causing the ship to get stuck with only 1 day left to reach its destination. 555555555 Because the Endurance ship did not could not move forward or backward, so the crew was forced to leave the ship on February 24, 1914.
It was not until October 27, 1915 that the ship was finally freed when the ice was broken by waves, the stern was raised, freeing the rudder and hull. However, just 25 days later, the ship shook again and disappeared forever under the ice.
This expedition became legendary in history because expedition leader Shackleton and his crew miraculously survived in extremely harsh weather conditions. The crew left the Endurance, camping on the ice until the ice broke.
After that, they used boats to go to Elephant Island and South Georgia Island. On August 30, 1916, the expedition’s arduous days ended when all the sailors were rescued while on Elephant Island./.
