Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
Encyclopedia : I : IM : IMP : Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
| Activities in Antarctica During the 20th Century | |
|---|---|
| International agreements | |
| Antarctic Treaty System | |
| British Commonwealth activities | |
| Scott's 1st expedition (1901-04) | |
| Shackleton's 1st expedition (1907-09) | |
| Scott's 2nd expedition (1910-13) | |
| Shackleton's 2nd expedition (1914-17) | |
| Shackleton's 3rd expedition (1921-22) | |
| Mawson's expedition (1929-31) | |
| The Graham Land Expedition (1934-37) | |
| Operation Tabarin (1943-45) | |
| Fuch's expedition (1955-58) | |
| French activities | |
| Charcot's 1st expedition (1903-05) | |
| Charcot's 2nd expedition (1908-10) | |
| German activities | |
| Drygalski's expedition (1901-03) | |
| Filchner's expedition (1911-12) | |
| The New Swabia Expedition (1938-39) | |
| Norwegian activities | |
| Amundsen's expedition (1910-12) | |
| U.S. activities | |
| Operation Highjump (1946-47) | |
| Operation Windmill (1947-48) | |
| Ronne's expedition (1947-48) | |
| Operation Deep Freeze (1955-56) | |
The expedition had its headquarters at 4 New Burlington Street in London, England. It set out from the East India Docks on August 1 of 1914 with the goal of crossing the Antarctic from a location near Vahsel Bay on the south side of the Weddell Sea, reach the South Pole and then continue to Ross Island on the opposite side of the continent. By an odd quirk of fate, this was the same day that Britain declared war on Germany, and Shackleton spent a long time weighing whether it was still appropriate to go.
The expedition's goal had to be abandoned when the ship, Endurance, was beset by sea ice short of its goal of Vahsel Bay. It was later crushed by the pack ice. The ship's crew and the expedition personnel endured an epic journey by sledge across the Weddell Sea pack and then boat to Elephant Island. Upon arrival at Elephant Island off the Antarctic Peninsula, they rebuilt one of their small boats and Shackleton with five others set sail for South Georgia to seek help. This remarkable journey in a 6.7 meter boat (the James Caird) through the Drake Passage to South Georgia in the late Antarctic Fall (April and May) is perhaps without rival. They landed on the southern coast of South Georgia and then crossed the spine of the island in an equally remarkable 36-hour journey. The 22 men who remained on Elephant Island were rescued by the Chilean ship Yelcho commanded by Luis Pardo Villalón, after three other failed attempts on August 30, 1916 (22 months after departing from South Georgia). Everyone from Endurance survived.
Ross Sea Party
The Ross Sea Party was a supply mission that had been sent to the other side of the continent to lay food depots for Shackleton's group. Their ship, the "Aurora", which was before owned by Douglas Mawson, was lost in a storm, stranding the company, but they set out across the Ross Ice Shelf to lay the supplies regardless. In December 1916, Shackleton embarked on a rescue mission to pick up members of this group, the Ross Sea Party. Although they suffered casualties, this party still managed to lay food depots. But three of the ten men died, and only three of their dogs remained, Oscar, Gunner and Towser. They were brought to the Wellington zoo and lived there happily ever after.Many details of Shackleton's expedition were recorded on movie camera and in photography by expedition photographer Frank Hurley. Expedition journals were carefully kept and are preserved to this day.
Crew
| Ernest Shackleton | 1st in Command |
| Frank Wild | 2nd in Command |
| Frank Worsley | Captain of Endurance |
| Frank Hurley | Photographer |
| Hubert Hudson | Navigating Officer |
| Lionel Greenstreet | 1st Officer |
| Thomas Crean | 2nd Officer |
| Alfred Cheetham | 3rd Officer |
| Louis Rickinson | Chief Engineer |
| A.J. Kerr | Second Engineer |
| Dr. James McIlroy | Surgeon |
| Dr. Alexander Macklin | Surgeon |
| Robert Clark | Biologist |
| Leonard Hussey | Meteorologist |
| James Wordie | Geologist |
| Reginald James | Physicist |
| George Marston | Artist |
| Thomas Orde-Lees | Motor Expert |
| Harry McNeish | Carpenter |
| Charles Green | Cook |
| Percy Blackborrow | Steward (stowaway) |
| William Stevenson | Fireman |
| Ernest Holness | Fireman |
| John Vincent | Able Seaman |
| Timothy McCarthy | Able Seaman |
| Walter How | Able Seaman |
| William Bakewell | Able Seaman |
| Thomas McLeod | Able Seaman |
See also
Further reading
- Armstrong, Jennifer. (1998). Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World : The Extraordinary True Story of Shackeleton and the Endurance Crown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0517800136
- Lansing, Alfred. (1999) 2nd ed. . Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 078670621X
- *[Free eBook: My South Polar Expedition] at Project Gutenberg by Sir Ernest Shackleton
- *[Free eBook: South: the story of Shackleton's 1914-1917 expedition] at Project Gutenberg by Sir Ernest Shackleton
External links
- [Nova special on Shackelton]
- [American Museum of Natural History exhibition on the Endurance]
- [Shackelton's Antarctic Adventure]
Book: Endurance: Shacketon's Incredible Voyage
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