The Discovery of the Endurance
The Endurance, a three-masted barquentine sailing ship, was famously lost in the Antarctic during Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917. The ship was crushed by pack ice and sank on November 21, 1915.
Rediscovery of the Endurance
It wasn’t until February 17, 2020 that the Endurance was rediscovered by an expedition led by marine archaeologist Mensun Bound. Using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), the team located the wreck at a depth of 2,800 feet (850 meters) in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica. The ROV captured images of the ship’s bow and stern sections, which were still largely intact.
The discovery of the Endurance is significant because it provides insight into one of the most famous stories of survival in history. It also serves as a reminder of how fragile our environment can be and how quickly things can change.