Shackleton’s heroic crew battle killer Antarctic in stunning pics
Adventurer survived extraordinary adversity when 1914 mission to cross continent went disastrously wrong
THESE extraordinary photos show the struggle for survival faced by Ernest Shackleton and his crew on their disastrous polar adventure.
They feature in a new book about the 1914 mission to cross Antarctica which failed when his ship Endurance got trapped in the ice and sank.
Shackleton famously ensured his entire crew were saved by spending 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to fetch help.
The black and white photos show the Endurance in a number of tight spots over the course of its voyage, including one where the ship is virtually laid on its side after being caught in a pressure crack in October 1915.
Other more intimate snaps reveal members of the crew acting as night watchmen as they huddle round a fire, whilst an additional picture shows Second Officer, Tom Crean, also known as the Irish giant, cuddling four puppies who were to make up 69 Canadian sledging dogs on-board the ship.
Author Caroline Alexander included them in her new book The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition.
She says she was inspired to write it after reading Shackleton’s own account, saying it left her “transfixed”.
She added: “I then read all the first-hand accounts I could find, including memoirs by Hurley the photographer, Hussey the meteorologist and the better-known works of Worsley, the captain and navigator.
“During this time, I became aware of the quality and number of world class images that Frank Hurley had taken and was determined to have them displayed in an exhibition in the US.
“Through some contacts at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, I was able to co-curate an exhibit dedicated to the images and included a number of artefacts that had survived the exhibition.
“However, at the outset I was told by the museum it was their custom to have a publication accompany an exhibition – so that became my mandate to write the book.”
Shackleton’s adventure began in 1914 when he made his third trip to the Antarctic - planning to cross the entire continent via the South Pole.
Early in 1915, Endurance became trapped in ice, and ten months later sank.
MOST READ IN NEWS
In April 1916 he and his crew set off in three small boats, eventually reaching Elephant Island.
Taking five crew members, Shackleton then went to find help eventually reaching a whaling station. The remaining men were rescued in August 1916.
Caroline added: “I think that what my book shows is how a very flawed man could, if you will, find redemption in the one extraordinary, indeed almost inexplicable, act of leading all his men to survival.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.