The Search For the Endurance

The S.A. Agulhas II is mounting an expedition to to find Shackleton's ship 'The Endurance' The expedition will spend 35 days in the Weddell Sea which is one of the very few seas ships dare venture as it is one of the most inhospitable environments in the region. Historian Dan Snow is onboard among the crew

The Endurance sank in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea on November 21 1915, after becoming stuck in dense pack ice earlier the same year.

Sir Ernest and his crew abandoned the ship after 10 months stuck on the ice before making the treacherous journey to safety with limited resources.

The expedition gained notoriety for the incredible escape, and the fact almost all of Sir Ernest’s crew survived the expedition. When the Endurance sank, its co-ordinates were recorded by Captain Frank Worsley.
The measurements will provide a starting point and focus for the search operation but due to overcast positions on November 21 1915, it’s not known how accurate the recordings were.

Autonomus underwater search vehicles will be used to locate, survey and film the wreck, which could be up to 3,000m underwater, without touching or disturbing it.

The Endurance is a Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty System meaning the wreck cannot be touched, only observed.

If the the wreck is found, the underwater vehicles will use laser scanners to produce a 3D model of the ship and its debris field.