After 107 Long Years, The Lost Ship “Endurance” is Finally Found in the Antarctic

It took 107 years for scientists to find and film one of the world’s most significant shipwrecks. Shackleton’s lost vessel, the Endurance, was discovered at the bottom of the Weddell Sea over the weekend.

After being smashed by sea ice and sinking in 1915, Shackleton and his crew were forced to attempt an incredible escape on foot and in tiny boats.

Endurance’s remains are seen to be in extraordinary preservation in a video of the location.

Despite the fact that it has been submerged in water for more than a century, it still seems to be the same as it did on the November day it went down. The ship’s timbers, while damaged, are still remarkably intact, and the name – Endurance – is plainly visible on the stern.

“Without any exaggeration this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen – by far,”  Mensun Bound, a marine archaeologist who is participating in the finding expedition and who has finally achieved a lifelong desire in his almost 50-year professional career, stated.

“It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation,” he states to BBC.

The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT) spearheaded the search for the missing ship, which was carried out on a South African icebreaker, the Agulhas II, which was outfitted with remotely controlled submersibles to aid in the search.

As reported by the mission’s commander, polar geographer Dr John Shears, the “jaw-dropping” moment when the cameras landed on the ship’s name was captured was “breathtaking.”

“The discovery of the wreck is an incredible achievement,” he says.

“We have successfully completed the world’s most difficult shipwreck search, battling constantly shifting sea-ice, blizzards, and temperatures dropping down to -18C. We have achieved what many people said was impossible.” He continues.

What was the location of the ship’s discovery?

At a depth of 3,008 meters, Endurance was discovered in the Weddell Sea.

They had been searching for the wreckage site for more than two weeks, scouring a designated search area and researching a variety of fascinating targets, before eventually discovering it on Saturday – the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton’s death. The first several days after the discovery were spent taking extensive photographs of the timbers and surrounding debris field, which were then analyzed.

As a now recognized monument under the International Antarctic Treaty, the wreck itself must not be damaged in any manner. As a result, no tangible artifacts have been brought to the surface.