The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust is hailing the discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton's lost ship, Endurance, as thrilling and ground-breaking.
The stern of the Endurance Photo: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust / National Geographic
Endurance was crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea, sinking in 1915 and sparking an iconic tale of survival.
Heavy sea ice has thwarted previous attempts to unearth the ship, but the recent Endurance22 expedition was successful in finding it.
Antarctic Heritage Trust executive director Nigel Watson said it was a landmark find.
"The circumstances surrounding Endurance and its demise in the Weddell Sea led to one of the greatest survival stories and now it feels like we can write the final chapter more than 100 years later," he said.
"It's fitting it has been found in the centenary year of the end of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration."
Akaroa-born Captain Frank Worsley played a crucial role in the survival of Shackleton and his crew, he said.
"The incredible hardship and feat of navigation through the Southern Ocean in the small James Caird boat after he had successfully navigated the team to Elephant Island, and then that incredible journey across the open ocean to try and reach South Georgia to raise the alarm and to save the men of the Endurance."
Taffrail and ship's wheel, aft well deck. Photo: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust / National Geographic
The whaling station at South George was 1300 kilometres away.
"This journey is still referred to as one of the most heroic ocean voyages of all time and its success came down to Worsley's navigation skills and unbreakable perseverance under the most difficult circumstances," Watson said.
"Stories of exploration and bravery have the ability to transcend time and many generations."
Lost for more than a century, explorer Ernest Henry Shackleton's 144-foot long ship, Endurance, has finally been discovered off the coast of Antarctica beneath the icy Weddell Sea. Explore more exclusive images: https://t.co/bJep1ePL1o pic.twitter.com/IMRJALfYVg
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) March 9, 2022
Captain Frank Worsley's logbook recorded the final position of Endurance which was a critical factor in its discovery, he said.
He was astounded by how well preserved the ship was after 107 years under the ice.
"It has been crushed by the ice and descended over three kilometres to the ocean floor in the Weddell Sea."
Images suggested the ship was upright and in incredible condition, he said.
"The hull looks - for the majority of the images that have been released - intact. You can still see across the stern the beautiful lettering Endurance is clear as day.
"If you look to the bow of the ship and you see the beautiful woodwork."
The starboard bow. Photo: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust / National Geographic
The preservation likely benefited mostly from the fact that there was not the decay and organisms - including no wood-eating microbes - in the incredibly cold water, he said.
Now that it had been found, Watson said it would remain deep under the ice, but he was looking forward to a documentary on its discovery.
While a remote search vehicle had been lost in a previous attempt to find Endurance, the Endurance22 expedition deployed SAAB Sabertooth underwater vehicles that were able to travel under the ice and could reach sites up to 160km away from their launch site.
The Antarctic Heritage Trust has been involved in earlier famous discoveries, including the century-old fruitcake found in the first expedition base built in Antarctica and Shackleton's whisky, found under Shackleton's 1908 Antarctic base.
The trust cares for the expedition bases and more than 20,000 items left behind by the early Antarctic explorers, including Sir Ernest Shackleton.
