Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance

“There was no going back, for Shackleton. He had found his true calling.”

After Shackleton goes to Antarctica for the first time in 1901 aboard Captain Robert F. Scott’s Discovery, he is forever changed. From then on, his sights are set on returning to Antarctica and achieving new milestones. He is a natural explorer, and after 1901, Antarctic becomes his only intended destination.

“But whatever their experience, whether North Sea trawler-hand or Cambridge University scientist, they knew they were in for the adventure of a lifetime.”

After Shackleton raises money for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, he assembles a crew of 28 men. They come from many different backgrounds and stations in life. However, they are all united in the shared sense that the trek to Antarctica will be life changing.

“The Norwegian whalers were the only source of information about current conditions in the Antarctic, and the news they had for Shackleton was bad. The ice pack surrounding the continent had been particularly heavy that year, and it wasn’t breaking up as quickly as usual.”

After leaving South America, the Endurance makes a stop at the whaling stations in South Georgia Island. The whalers give them the latest news about the conditions of the ice surrounding Antarctica. Although the crew of Endurance is not aware of it at the time, the status of the ice as relayed to them by the whalers makes any chance they have of completing their expedition impossible. Not only do they never make it to Antarctica, but their ship sinks as well.

“Occasionally, when the frigid atmosphere was charged with water, every rope and spar on the ship was frosted white, making Endurance look like another species of sparkling white iceberg as it nosed its way through the pack.”

As the Endurance makes its way through the icy waters of the Weddell Sea, the ship itself begins to blend in with the environment around it. The ship becomes as cold and frozen as everything else. Nothing can escape the icy cold air, demonstrating the truly frigid nature of the Antarctic climate.

“Under Shackleton’s leadership, fighting never broke out among the men, even though they weren’t exactly cut out to be buddies.”

Although men of many different backgrounds are forced to wait out winter on the ship together, they do not fight with each other. This is a testament to Shackleton’s abilities as a strong leader. He is able to unify his crew under a common purpose.

“But worse, the jumble of ice that stretched for hundreds of miles in every direction gave the wind a grip on the ice pack.”

After a major blizzard in mid-July, the ice around the ship becomes more like a minefield. Although it was flat and even before the storm, it is now a jumbled mess, and the wind also puts pressure on the ice. The ship immediately shows signs of weakening under that pressure.

“Endurance was pinned on all sides by this immense upheaval. As floes pressed against her, leaks sprang in the hold. Planks began twisting out of place.”

Although the pressure on the ship temporarily subsides, it starts again in October with even more force than before. This time it exacts irreversible damage. Any efforts the crew make to keep the damage to a minimum are pointless. This is the final pressure attack on Endurance and will be the last.

“When the exhausted crew of Endurance gave up the battle against the pressure and abandoned the ship, the ice field around her was not a sight to inspire confidence.”

Once the crew knows their efforts against the pressure are hopeless and Endurance is essentially destroyed, they have to vacate the ship. When they take a look at the situation they now face, it gives them cause for concern. They have to battle the jumbled mess of ice around them on foot. It was difficult enough on the ship, and now it will be even harder.

“If they wanted to survive, they must travel light, harden their hearts against sentimental keepsakes, and trust that they could make do with the bare bones of equipment.”

Once the crew leaves Endurance, they know they have a difficult journey ahead of them. Survival depends on keeping the load light; otherwise, they will be burdened by items they do not need. They must make tough choices about what to discard and what to keep. Since objects with special meaning might hinder their chances of survival, they have to be left behind.

“The long-delayed death of their ship sent a wave of sadness and depression over the crew. While she lasted, Endurance had been a visible link to the world they once knew.”

At the end of November, the men finally witness Endurance go down beneath the ice. Once the ship is gone, they have only their remaining belongings and each other to tether them to the rest of society. A sense of complete isolation comes over them and dampens their spirits.

“This was the first threat to Shackleton’s command, but it was a potentially

disastrous one.”

Towards the end of December, the men have been on the ice for several months. After Shackleton’s decision to abandon Ocean Camp and trek out on the ice, McNeish stops working in protest. The threat of mutiny looms as other crew members are also disgruntled, and Shackleton knows he must put a swift end to it. There is absolutely no chance of everyone surviving if part of the crew refuses to work. After Shackleton mitigates disaster by insisting the Ship’s Articles still stand, his authority is not threatened again, and everyone works together.

“The games and amusements that had passed the time for them on board Endurance were forgotten; no one had the heart for charades or poetry recitals or comic songs.”

At Patience Camp, life for the men becomes a miserable waiting game. They are drifting on a floe hoping it gets them to the next destination. The fun and excitement of life on Endurance is long over and impossible to recreate.

“Nobody liked to think what might happen if Worsley lost any of his instruments or tables. After Shackleton, they looked to the skipper to get them home.”

Throughout the entire voyage, but particularly through their journey on the ice, Worsley plays an indispensable role in navigating the crew. Without him they are literally lost. They make every effort to help him protect his most essential instruments so he can tell them where they are or if they are going in the right direction. They need him to get them home. 

“At twelve forty on April 8, Shackleton gave the order: ‘Launch the boats.’”

After months on the ice, open water is finally ahead. As Patience Camp is shrinking, it could not have appeared at a better time. At Shackleton’s long-awaited command, the rescue boats are launched into the water, and the men attempt to head to Elephant Island. Although their first attempt is not a success, they are able to relaunch later and reach the island.

“The riptide was roaring after them, threatening to engulf the three puny boats with a deluge of ice and slush.”

Once the boats make it into the water, they face the open water in the lifeboats for the first time. The situation is terrifying, and the boats are not equipped to deal with tumultuous water. They are temporarily forced back onto the ice.

“For the rest of the night, the men sat in the boats, their clothes freezing on them, huddling together for warmth. It was too cold for sleep.”

When the men are finally able to get into the water for a second time after making some adjustments to the lifeboats, they face new and greater challenges. They have even less food and equipment and no shelter to protect them from the elements. They are constantly wet and cold and must turn to each other for warmth.

“Shackleton knew—everyone knew—that they could not hold out on that desolate spot all winter.”

Shackleton and his men finally make it to dry land on Elephant Island. However, it is a cold and isolated area that is unsustainable as a long-term shelter. Shackleton and the others know that they must go get help because they will not last there indefinitely. Although they have endured so much, they know that still more challenges lie ahead of them.

“It was a tossup which was worse—being pounded up and down in the bow of the boat in a sorry excuse for sleep, or huddling in the cockpit as icy seas swept across the thwarts and gunwales.”

Shackleton puts together a small crew to head back to South Georgie Island and get help. The trip is one of the most harrowing yet and provides little time for comfort or rest. Sleeping conditions are equally as miserable as manning the cockpit. However, the men know it is what is required of them to rescue the others, and they rise to the challenge by enduring it as best they can.

“The men fell on their hands and knees, lapping up the sweet water like dogs.”

When the rescue crew finally arrives on a vacant side of South Georgia Island, they are exhausted and dehydrated. They have little left to sustain them, including water. They see glacier melt in front of them and collapse before it, drinking it up like animals. They know from previous experience that extreme hunger and thirst can reduce them to such a level.

“They could not linger in the cave all winter, dining on seal meat and tossing their feet at a driftwood fire. The men on Elephant Island were still counting on them.”

Although they have made it to land and shelter, the rescue crew must continue on their journey. Shackleton and two others still need to get to the whaling station for help. Although the cave they have found provides warmth and food, it is a situation that must be short-lived. A few of the men are able to stay while the others need to forge ahead.

“As they slogged their way through the snow, a strange feeling began to grow on each of the men. The three discovered that long afterward that they all had the feeling that there was a fourth.”

Shackleton takes Worsley and Crean with him to trek across South Georgia Island. They go over mountainous terrain that is uncharted, deciding it is more manageable than sailing over a hundred miles around the Island. Through the difficult journey, the three men keep feeling another presence with them. Shackleton decides later that it is Providence guiding them, aiding them along so that they safely get to the whaling station and can bring the men on Elephant Island home.

“Even for men accustomed to a hard life in a terrifying ocean, they could hardly believe what Shackleton and his men had endured.”

Once Shackleton, Crean, and Worsley get to the whaling station, they recount their tale. The whalers are in awe of the story and insist on hearing it over and over. The situations Shackleton and his men faced and overcame are beyond belief for even the most hardened whaler.

“Nobody ever stepped outside the hut without casting a quick look seaward.”

The men left on Elephant Island constantly look to the water for a rescue ship. They are confident Shackleton will send help and believe it is only a matter of time. Although they look more at first than they do later, they still always keep a lookout.