Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton is best known as a polar explorer who was associated with four expeditions exploring Antarctica, particularly the Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition (191416) that he led, which, although unsuccessful, became famous as a tale of remarkable perseverance and survival. Despite his assurances to Emily that "we are practically sure of the contract", nothing came of this scheme. Photograph by Corbis I. [46] Before leaving England, he had been pressured to give an undertaking to Scott that he would not base himself in the McMurdo area, which Scott was claiming as his own field of work. [31] All 22 dogs died during the march. [70] He had been in discussions with Douglas Mawson about a scientific expedition to the Antarctic coast between Cape Adare and Gaussberg, and had written to the RGS about this in February 1910. Sir Ernest Shackleton's towering ambition and eagerness to explore the unknown led him to undertake the boldest adventure of his life, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. There is a legend that Shackleton posted an advertisement which emphasised the hardship and danger of the voyage, so that he could better narrow down and select candidates for his expedition, but no record of any such advertisement has survived and its existence is considered doubtful. They later learned that the same hurricane had sunk a 500-ton steamer bound for South Georgia from Buenos Aires. [115] He returned home in April 1918. Where did Ernest Shackleton attend school? When did Ernest Shackleton reach Antarctica? [73], None of these enterprises prospered, and his main source of income was his earnings from lecture tours. [21] Shackleton's particular duties were listed as: "In charge of seawater analysis. [113][114] In October 1917, he was sent to Buenos Aires to boost British propaganda in South America. [131] Within a year the first biography, The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton, by Hugh Robert Mill, was published. [42] He also ventured into politics, unsuccessfully standing in the 1906 General Election as the Liberal Unionist Party's candidate for Dundee constituency in opposition to Irish Home Rule. [44] Shackleton by this time was making no secret of his ambition to return to Antarctica at the head of his own expedition. The sledging party returned to the base camp in late February 1909, but they discovered that the Nimrod had set sail some two days earlier. His exertions in raising funds to finance his expeditions and the immense strain of the expeditions themselves were believed to have worn out his strength. Why did Shackleton go to Antarctica? Endurance did not have that hull shape. Shackleton was born on 15 February 1874, in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland. John King Davis was one of the most renowned captains in Antarctic exploration. [61], On Shackleton's return home, public honours were quickly forthcoming. McIlroy was head of the scientific staff, which included Wordie. None survived the brutal journey home. The return of the sun after 92 days. [77] Two ships would be employed; Endurance would carry the main party into the Weddell Sea, aiming for Vahsel Bay from where a team of six, led by Shackleton, would begin the crossing of the continent. [127] The expedition left England on 24 September 1921. In charge of holds, stores and provisions[] He also arranges the entertainments. [122], Shackleton returned to the lecture circuit and published his own account of the Endurance expedition, South, in December 1919. A revival of the vintageand since lostformula for the particular brands found has been offered for sale with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust which discovered the lost spirits. [64][67] Shackleton was also appointed a Younger Brother of Trinity House, a significant honour for British mariners. [6] Ernest was the second of their ten children and the first of two sons; the second, Frank, achieved notoriety as a suspect, later exonerated, in the 1907 theft of the so-called Irish Crown Jewels, which have never been recovered. Shackleton is best known for his extraordinary achievement in leading the men of his Endurance expedition safely out of the Antarctic after their ship had been crushed in the ice. A sledging party, led by Shackleton, reached within 97 nautical miles (112 statute miles or 180 km) of the South Pole, and another, under T.W. King Edward VII received him on 10 July and raised him to a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order;[62][63] in the King's Birthday Honours list in November, he was made a knight, becoming Sir Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton abandoned one cherished goal and shouldered . For other uses, see, Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 19141917, Modern calculations, based on Shackleton's photograph and Wilson's drawing, place the furthest point reached at 8211'. Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's century-old whisky has been retrieved. Amundsen vs. Scott. He was forced to make an 800-mile open boat journey, then cross the island of South Georgia, before the ship's crew could be rescued. When explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew set out for Antarctica on the Endurance in 1914, they had no idea their journey would become one of history's greatest epics of survival. In 1915, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship became trapped in ice, north of Antarctica. The attempt this week to find Sir Ernest Shackleton's missing ship, the Endurance, has ended - without success. Did Shackleton eat his dogs? On 8 May, thanks to Worsley's navigational skills, the cliffs of South Georgia came into sight, but hurricane-force winds prevented the possibility of landing. [56] Their return journey to McMurdo Sound was a race against starvation, on half-rations for much of the way. At 47 years old, Shackleton was on his fourth journey to Antarctica, and the third he had led. Why did Ernest shackleton go to antarctica? Sir Ernest Shackleton had been counting on Endurance to help him make it ashore . October 27th 1915 - The Endurance is badly damaged by the pressure of ice acting upon her and leaking, Shackleton orders her to be abandoned, stores and equipment are taken onto the sea-ice and a camp established. The three men all suffered at times from snow blindness, frostbite and, ultimately, scurvy. Mrs Chippy was shot when the Endurance sank, due to the belief that he would not have survived the ordeal that followed. April 24th 1916 - Shackleton and 5 others set off in the James Caird for South Georgia.Sir Ernest Shackleton, Endurance Voyage. According to Macklin's own account, Macklin told him he had been overdoing things and should try to "lead a more regular life", to which Shackleton answered: "You are always wanting me to give up things, what is it I ought to give up?" Captain Scott and Captain Shackleton: A 100 Year Old Expedition. On 9 April, their ice floe broke into two, and Shackleton ordered the crew into the lifeboats and to head for the nearest land. Ernest Shackleton testified at the Titanic inquiry. Shackleton immediately sent a boat to pick up the three men from the other side of South Georgia while he set to work to organise the rescue of the Elephant Island men. On his return to England, Shackleton was knighted and was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. What is Ernest Shackleton best known for? What was Ernest Shackleton famous for? He still harboured thoughts of returning south, even though in September 1910, having recently moved with his family to Sheringham in Norfolk, he wrote to Emily: "I am never again going South and I have thought it all out and my place is at home now". Norwegian-built three-master that was intended to take Sir Ernest Shackleton and a small crew of seamen and scientists, 27 men in all, to the southernmost shore of Antarctica's adventuring was even then a thoroughly commercial effort . [143] Within a few years, he was thoroughly overtaken in public esteem by Shackleton, whose popularity surged while that of his erstwhile rival declined. Tom Crean was in more immediate charge as head dog-handler. On 4 February 1903, the party finally reached the ship. [15] On 17 February 1901, his appointment as third officer to the expedition's ship Discovery was confirmed; on 4 June he was commissioned into the Royal Navy, with the rank of sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. There was a (male) cat named Mrs Chippy that belonged to the carpenter Harry McNish. A few moments later, at 2:50a.m. on 5 January 1922, Shackleton suffered a fatal heart attack. Alternate titles: Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. In 1905, Shackleton became a shareholder in a speculative company that aimed to make a fortune transporting Russian troops home from the Far East. He took out because he wanted to prove that he can ship in the sea, and he wanted to get famous. Unfortunately, it was designed for breaking through sea ice, not for being trapped in ice. The party was in high spirits, despite the difficult conditions; Shackleton's ability to communicate with each man kept the party happy and focused.[53]. All episodes. The Endurance Expedition was a British mission to cross the Antarctic on foot in 1914-17. [89] She drifted slowly northward with the ice through the following months. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [116] On the way he was taken ill in Troms, possibly with a heart attack. Updates? 2d. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton is best known as a polar explorer who was associated with four expeditions exploring Antarctica, particularly the Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition (1914-16) that he led, which, although unsuccessful, became famous as a tale of remarkable perseverance and survival. Also, members of his team climbed Mount Erebus, the most active Antarctic volcano. To this end, he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 19141917. [83] He ultimately selected a crew of 56, twenty-eight on each ship. He became a farmer instead, settling in Kilkea. Scott wrote: "He ought not to risk further hardship in his present state of health. The story has been told and retold, and the. [150], Shackleton's death marked the end of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, a period of discovery characterised by journeys of geographical and scientific exploration in a largely unknown continent without any of the benefits of modern travel methods or radio communication. [91] On 21 November 1915, the wreck finally slipped beneath the surface. His health suffered, and he was removed from duty and sent home on the supply ship Morning in March 1903. There remained the men of the Ross Sea Party, who were stranded at Cape Evans in McMurdo Sound, after Aurora had been blown from its anchorage and driven out to sea, unable to return. He felt certain that others would soon succeed in reaching the South Pole where he had failed having come so close, and so looked to the next goal. [76], Shackleton published details of his new expedition, grandly titled the "Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition", early in 1914. [40] On 9 April 1904, he married Emily Dorman, with whom he had three children: Raymond, Cecily, and Edward, himself an explorer and later a politician.[41]. [64][65] He was honoured by the Royal Geographical Society, who awarded him a gold medal; a proposal that the medal be smaller than that earlier awarded to Captain Scott was not acted on. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. Under treacherous conditions, Shackleton's perilous journey and the subsequent rescue of all his men remains one of the most heroic stories of all time. [12] The options available were a Royal Navy cadetship at Britannia, which Shackleton could not afford; the mercantile marine cadet ships Worcester and Conway; or an apprenticeship "before the mast" on a sailing vessel. This party would then lay supply depots across the Great Ice Barrier as far as the Beardmore Glacier; these depots would hold the food and fuel that would enable Shackleton's party to complete their journey of 1,800 miles (2,900km) across the continent. He was a key figure of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Event and key to map Time since leaving England Date 8 Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean reach Stromness whaling station 21 months, 12 days May 20th 1916. [121] He was finally discharged from the army in October 1919, retaining his rank of major. "[22], Discovery departed London on 31 July 1901, arriving at the Antarctic coast, via Cape Town and New Zealand, on 8 January 1902. They found that the Barrier Inlet had expanded to form a large bay, in which were hundreds of whales, which led to the immediate christening of the area as the Bay of Whales. Why did Ernest Shackleton want to go to Antarctica? Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton CVO OBE FRGS FRSGS (15 February 1874 - 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic.He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.. Born in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton and his Anglo-Irish family moved to Sydenham in suburban south London . [90], Until this point, Shackleton had hoped that the ship, when released from the ice, could work her way back towards Vahsel Bay. At one point, Shackleton gave his one biscuit allotted for the day to the ailing Frank Wild, who wrote in his diary: "All the money that was ever minted would not have bought that biscuit and the remembrance of that sacrifice will never leave me". [59], In 1910, Shackleton made a series of three recordings describing the expedition using an Edison phonograph. Study now. The story of Shackleton's ill-fated journey exemplifies the strength of human spirit and one man's determination to succeed against all odds. What did Shackleton feed his dogs? [b][43] In the meantime he had taken a job with wealthy Clydeside industrialist William Beardmore (later Lord Invernairn), with a roving commission which involved interviewing prospective clients and entertaining Beardmore's business friends. (, The distance from the Pole is commonly given as 97 or 98 miles, this being the distance in nautical miles. [118], For his "valuable services rendered in connection with Military Operations in North Russia" Shackleton was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 King's Birthday Honours,[119] and was also mentioned in despatches by General Ironside. Although he'd been sent home from the trip due to ill health, Shackleton vowed to return to the Antarctic and prove himself as a polar explorer. [10] He was schooled by a governess until the age of eleven, when he began at Fir Lodge Preparatory School in West Hill, Dulwich, in southeast London. This book, as well as being a tribute to the explorer, was a practical effort to assist his family; Shackleton died some 40,000 in debt (equivalent to 2,323,748 in 2021[135])[138] A further initiative was the establishment of a Shackleton Memorial Fund, which was used to assist the education of his children and the support of his mother. [156] Asteroid 289586 Shackleton, discovered by Swiss amateur astronomer Michel Ory in 2005, was named in his memory. Shackletons publications were The Heart of the Antarctic (1909) and South (1919), the latter an account of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition. By early 1912, the world was aware that the pole had been conquered, by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen. Throughout the ordeal, not one of Shackletons crew of the Endurance died. The expedition, prevented by ice from reaching the intended base site in Edward VII Peninsula, wintered on Ross Island, McMurdo Sound. Shackleton received a message saying the King would not be able to go. 05 Dec 2014 Martha Lagace. This disparity continued into the 1950s. [123] In 1920, tired of the lecture circuit, Shackleton began to consider the possibility of a last expedition. This allowed for Shackleton to remain in control of the morale of his crew members. At the age of thirteen, he entered Dulwich College. On 27 November 2011, the ashes of Frank Wild were interred on the right-hand side of Shackleton's gravesite in Grytviken. A supporting party, the Ross Sea party led by A.E. [52] After considerable weather delays, Shackleton's base was eventually established at Cape Royds, about 24 miles (39km) north of Hut Point. [155] That same year, on the date of what would have been Shackleton's 137th birthday, Google honoured him with a Google Doodle. 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