In late 1914, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, leader of the British Imperial Trans- Antarctic Expedition, set sail with a 27-man crew. He considered the expedition's goal-crossing the Antarctic continent-the last great polar journey of the "Heroic Age of Exploration." Departing from South Georgia Island, Shackleton and his crew set off to sail across the Weddell Sea to reach Vahsel Bay, which Shackleton and a small team would cross the continent to the Ross Sea. But three days into the journey, the wooden ship, Endurance, encountered unexpected patches of sea ice and enormous icebergs. For six weeks, the Endurance dodged floes or smashed through them. Then, one fateful night, Shackleton ordered the crew to stop the engines to save fuel, and in the morning, the ship was trapped in a sea of ice, leaving the 28 members of the expedition stranded, with no means of contacting the outside world for help. Unable to break out of the pack ice, the crew had to spend the winter on the Endurance, waiting for the ice to break up in the spring, so they could sail on. Well-supplied for the Antarctic crossing, they had sufficient food and warm clothing, and the carpenter, Chippy McNeish, built comfortable living quarters they called "The Ritz." To sustain morale, Shackleton kept everyone busy-and everyone equal, which inspired a sense of camaraderie, and telling his crew that strength lies in unity. But this unity was tested by catastrophe, as the ice began to move in the spring, it did not free the Endurance, but instead trapped it. Shackleton set a new goal: to save every life by marching to safety, hauling their lifeboats in case they reached open water. But the ice proved impassable, forcing them to camp on the ice and hope the floe beneath them drifted closer to land. They called their new home on the ice "Patience Camp," for all they could do was wait. After five long months on a drifting ice floe, the men detected the swell of the ocean beneath them because the ice was breaking up. When they launched their three lifeboats in search of land, the men had been trapped in the ice for 15 months. The first night on the water, the men could camp on an ice floe, but after that they were confined to the boats, sitting in icy water, shivering in each other's arms. Shackleton, standing tall at the tiller hour after hour to hearten his men, realized that they must race to nearby Elephant Island to save the lives of his men. Guided by Captain Frank Worsley's navigational expertise, they landed at Elephant Island after seven fearful days on the open sea. The isolated island offered no hope of rescue, so Shackleton decided on a desperate gamble, he and five of the men would sail in the largest of the three lifeboats-the 22-foot James Caird-800 miles to the whaling stations of South Georgia Island, where they would get help. Shackleton and his five-man crew faced overcast skies, heaving seas, towering waves, gale-force winds-and even a hurricane-that made it almost impossible to keep the small lifeboat upright, much less for Worsley to navigate precisely with a sextant. The men were at sea for 17 days before landing on South Georgia Island, but the James Caird was too damaged to go further, and the nearest whaling station was on the opposite coast. Shackleton had no choice but to attempt a crossing on the uncharted island on foot. He, after all, had the 22 men on Elephant Island depending on him. Shackleton, Worsley and Second Officer Tom Crean set out to march across South Georgia. With just three days' provisions, two compasses, a rope and a carpenter's adze to be used as an ice axe, the three men trudged nearly 30 miles. After 36 hours of traversing the unmapped island, they arrived at Stromness whaling station. Immediately after Shackleton, Worsley and Crean arrived at Stromness, a boat was sent to rescue the three crew members on the opposite side of South Georgia. Then Shackleton set out in a borrowed ship to save the 22 men on Elephant Island, but ice blocked his path again and again. Meanwhile, the men on Elephant Island assumed the worst-that Shackleton and the others had been lost at sea. Finally, on August 30, 1916, Shackleton was able to reach Elephant Island. As he neared land, he anxiously counted the figures on the beach, exclaiming to Worsley, "They're all there, Skipper. They are all safe...Not a life lost." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyQRHHHXntc
Endurance by Alfred Lansing follows the Antarctic expedition braved by twenty-eight men in 1914. The leader of this journey, Ernest Shackleton, planned to lead his men across Antarctica on foot. Briefly after their voyage began, their ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice floes. Disaster continued to strike the efforts of the crew for the next two years. Despite the dread that these men faced, they remained content throughout the journey. Shackleton's intuition, the crew's spirit of adventure, and the overall happiness of the group are all factors that led to their ultimate survival. Ernest Shackleton was an experienced polar explorer and a natural born leader. From the beginnings of their journey, Shackleton used his intuition to organize and lead his party. Even when choosing the members of his team Shackleton relied on intuition rather than prior experience: "There is no record of any interview that Shackleton conducted with a prospective expedition member lasting much more than five minutes...Despite the instantaneous nature of their decisions, Shackleton's intuition for selecting compatible men rarely failed" (20). Throughout their journey, Shackleton's intuitive choices were most often successful. Even when faced with life or death decisions, he led his men to safety. Towards the end of their expedition, when crossing South Georgia, Shackleton and two of his men were on top of a 2,000-foot cliff about to freeze when Shackleton made the risky suggestion that they slide down: "Worsley and Crean were stunned- especially for such an insane solution to be coming from Shackleton. But he wasn't joking...has wasn't even smiling. He meant it- and they knew it"(338). This decision resulted in the survival of Worsley and Crean and brought them closer to the whaling station, where they sought help. A variety of people embarked on the Endurance. There were officers, engineers, surgeons, seaman, fireman, a navigator, meteorologist, physicist, biologist, geologist, photographer, and artist. All of these men shared a sense of adventure and excitement: "Almost without exception, these volunteers were motivated solely by the spirit of adventure, for the salaries offered were little more than token payments for the services expected" (18). They put their lives at risk countless times for the purpose of being the first men to walk across Antarctica. This spirit of adventure fueled their whole expedition. Even after facing countless disasters and horrors, the crew remained fairly happy. Because of their unusual circumstance, the men immediately became very close: "...they were in closer contact with one another than ever. But instead of getting on each other's nerves, the entire party seemed to become more close-knit"(51). By the end of the trip, the men were like family. They were all that each other had and they had to constantly be with one another. They made the most of their limited privacy by entertaining one another with games and talent shows and celebrating holidays as best as they could: "They held a special celebration on Midwinter's Day, June 22...The evening ended at midnight with a cold supper and a toast. Then everyone sang, ‘God Save the King'"(54-55). The special effort men put into entertaining one another certainly contributed to their sanity and survival. These factors contributed greatly to their successful journey. While they did not accomplish their goal of walking across Antartica, they accomplished other feats. Shackleton led his crew to untouched territory and became one of the first men to walk across South Georgia. They managed to remain sane, safe, and spirited. Work Cited Lansing, Alfred. Endurance. Basic Books, 2014.