Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage 
Alfred Lansing

JN:

     (The story was able to be told due to a multitude of diaries as well as several interviews following the crew’s return). (Some nice introduction) Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men competently abandoned the ship. As the ship neared the ice, the ice tore through its sides, eliminating any hope of recovering the ship. The men all did their duty, getting the huskies and themselves off the ship and onto the ice without any casualties, which proved very remarkable due to the surprise evacuation. As they landed on the ice, they realized the doomed situation they were in. The nearest sign of civilization was hundreds of miles away and no one on the outside knew of their status or location. Thus, Endurance stayed stuck and could be used no more. 
     (Flashback to before the expedition) Shackleton was a prized explorer that already had two Antarctic voyages under his belt.  One was just to the mainland and the other was 73 miles short of the pole. Before Shackleton could launch another expedition to the pole, two other crew ventured to it, with one of them making it. Shackleton, still with a passion to explore, decided he would be the first one to cross the continent on foot. Following four years of planning and gaining money for the expedition, Shackleton acquired two ships, the Endurance, which would serve well in ice (guess not well enough), and another for the rest of the crew. On top of that, Shackleton planned other events including lectures he would speak at and books he would write when he returned. For his second-in-command, Shackleton picked Frank Wild, who had been on previous expeditions with him. As Shackleton picked the rest of the crew, full of scientists and specialists, on intuition, with his longest interview lasting no longer than 5 minutes.
     As the expedition neared, Ferdinand had just been assassinated and Europe was engaged in the First World War. Shackleton, wanting to help his country (England) but desperate to continue the expedition, launched his voyage in 1914. While the ship was constructed to perfection for ice, it was not great in open waters, and on the way to the Antarctic, many of Shackleton's crew got seasick. 
     The ships reached a place that whalers frequented and were told that the water was too dangerous, so the Endurance ported (the other ship was no longer needed). The journey just to get to Antarctica was taking a lot longer than expected. As they kept venturing South, they encountered many icebergs, some huge. The Endurance was struggling to get through the thick water, entailing an even longer delay. The crew saw whales, killer whales, seals, penguins, albatross, and many more cold critters.. Entering a new area with different ice, the ship was completely stuck. The crew tried cutting the ice to get the ship through and at the start, it worked. However, the task soon grew hopeless as the ice was simply too thick. 
     As they abandoned ship, they focused on gathering meat. The seals proved easy enough to kill as they only expected underwater predators. Another source came from the dogs. Around fifteen had died from worm infections but eight babies were born. By the end, they gathered 5,000 pounds of meat, enough for around 90 days. Unfortunately, the seals and penguins started leaving because the days were shortening (not a fun winter to go through). Nonetheless, the crew mates continued in good spirits. While the lack of sunlight normally raised tensions, it instead raised the morale of the crew as they grew closer, playing games and pranks and singing songs. All that was left for them was to wait out the winter. 
     As the Spring came, the sun invigorated the crew as it began to melt the surrounding ice. Throughout the process of traveling 160 miles, the Endurance suffered two attacks of ice cracking and survived both. Though the cracking was scary and deep in the ground, there was nothing the crew could do about it (dancing with death here). As the temperature rose, so did the amount of plankton in the water, the key part of the ecosystem which would bring all other larger creatures. The temperature continued to rise and the only thing that Endurance now faced was daily ice floes (a large floating piece of ice at least twenty meters across). Some were bad and caused difficulties, but most were simply nuisances that were left in the mornings. One day, the pressure of the ice suddenly increased to unseen numbers and the crew prepared to abandon ship (what we saw in the beginning). The crew worked for 28 hours straight, with only a short break for food, and only stopped when they saw a group of emperor penguins larger than ever seen. The penguins began to cry out and at that, Shackleton told the crew to find the safest floe and to put everything there (trust the penguins).
     The next step was to an area where they could resupply, an area around 375 miles away. As they sorted out their supplies, Shackleton told his crew that they could take only necessities with them. To show them he meant it, Shackleton threw down some gold heirlooms and ripped his bible dramatically (no God or gold, only glory). The crew also had to put down the puppies that could not carry their weight. Finally, with all of their supplies in order, they began. 
     They only covered 1 mile the first day because of the abundance of supplies that they had to bring including two large rowboats to use if permitted. At night time, they huddled together and slept as well as they could. After the second day, they realized that it would take too long to reach their destination, so they reluctantly turned back. Despite their misfortunes, they remained in relatively cheerful moods, which surprised Shackleton. Their next operation involved salvaging anything of use from the Endurance, including personal belongings and several barrels of food. They also managed to kill some seals on the way back to their camp. 
     Shackleton decided to hold a meeting with some of the higher crew mates (1st and 2nd mates), and they concluded that by mid-January their fates would be clear. If their floe drifted west, they may have a chance to use their boats to get to land. If it drifted anywhere else, then they may be doomed to survive through another winter (which is summer for the northern hemisphere). As their leader, Shackleton felt responsible for getting everyone back and therefore keeping everyone in high spirits preventing any unrest, putting those that were most likely to cause problems in his tent or Frank's. Shackleton, in another meeting, proposed the plan that if they got closer to this peninsula that whalers frequently visited, they could travel the 150 miles on foot and assure their rescue. 
The weather kept heating up, almost too much in some parts. To destroy any false senses of security, Shackleton gave everyone a position in case their floe ever gave way. Shackleton then discussed their daily schedule, which consisted of waking up at 6:30 a.m., eating at 5:30 p.m., and lights out by 8:30 p.m. The days consisted of sixteen hours of daylight at this point and they had an abundance of food with all of the seals that wandered onto their camp.
     One day, the Endurance fell below the ice and before they knew it, the ice submerged it (and there it lay ever since). Despite steady progress north, the floe began to slow and only traveled around 95 miles in total. The crew’s morale kept lowering (understandably so), and Shackleton grew concerned because demoralization was worse than anything for the crew. Needing a change, Shackleton proposed that the crew venture out, so they had one last meal on Christmas Day, eating to their heart's content and then set out. The first couple miles were miserable as the ice was thin and slushy. Everyone got incredibly wet and they had no change of clothes. They traveled to an impassible area and other than hunting seals, had little they could do. As the food shortages grew and the situation worsened, Shackleton suggested shooting the dogs. Many of the crew felt outraged due to their emotional connections with the dogs but the following day, Shackleton ordered a couple of the team’s dogs shot, including his own. The dogs were taken behind an iceberg one by one and killed instantaneously (I’m sure one of his toughest decisions).
     The following day, they shifted camps because the floe they were on was melting. Fortunately, with the wind picking up, this floe brought them close to one of their other camps where they gathered supplies. Returning, the crew set up another campsite and began spotting penguins just as their meat and blubber storage was getting low. They managed to gather 600 penguins, postponing the imminent threat of starvation (I’m curious as to how penguins taste). Unfortunately, a diet consisting solely of meat caused constipation, which made an already difficult activity for the crew that much harder (they used ice for toilet paper). 
     Doing some calculations, they determined they were around 3/4ths of the way where they wanted to go. The crew grew incredibly bored from the monotonous days, especially when the weather restricted them to their tents. Open ocean soon was able to be seen and hope came to the crew as they grew desperate. The food supply was getting low at this point and they ate whatever they could. Suddenly one day, the crew caught sight of land, and thankfully, this time it wasn’t another iceberg. The only problem now was reaching it. The crew was forced to eat some of the scraps saved for the dogs and the weather wouldn’t permit them to visit their other camp to resupply. 
The following morning, their floe developed a crack and the crew had to move their camp. Suddenly, a sea leopard emerged and they managed to add a thousand pounds of meat to their stock along with the thirty fish that were trapped in its stomach. With their stroke of good luck, they feasted at lunch. Despite the surge in their supply, another couple of teams of dogs had to be killed because they were of little use (still an extremely arduous situation). Throughout the next week, their floe traveled toward the open sea but also began to shrink in size, only around 200 yards in diameter where it used to be close to a mile. The floe suddenly neared Clarence island, meaning that their odds of rescue increased substantially. The water around their floe teamed with wildlife consisting of seals, penguins, and even whales. The floe later threatened to break apart, and desperate to not get stuck onto an iceberg, Shackleton told the crew to gather the tents and launch the boats, hopeful that the boats will get them the rest of the way to their destination. 
     Through treacherous waters, the crew traveled. On the first day, they made pretty good progress and ended up finding a float to stay on for the night. At one point in a later night, the floe they chose to sleep on began to crack and the crew fell in. Shackleton had to break open the tent and grab the man, squirming in his sleeping bag in the water. Though it was near freezing outside, he was alive. Shackleton ordered the boats to be launched and because they had no extra clothes, the man continued moving until his clothes dried. They launched again and could not get far because of powerful gales. Despite the fear of another floe cracking, Shackleton had no choice but to get his crew to another floe for the night. The conditions worsened as the floe steadily shrunk while the bergs approached so that the crew could neither stay for much longer nor launch their boats. 
     The following day, by some miracle, an area of water opened up, and Shackleton and his crew jumped on the opportunity. They headed west, abandoning their old plan and heading toward a different island. Throughout the night, they took shifts rowing and waiting, with no room to lay down and sleep. The next morning, when one of the crew found out their position using a sextant, he discovered horrible news: they made almost no progress. With constant struggles, the disheartened and suffering crew kept rowing with all their might to make it to shore. One of the three boats began to show signs of tear but held on. The snow weighed down the boat and the blistering cold harmed the entire crew. They caught sight of Elephant Island once again and decided that that would be their final destination. Many of the more advanced seamen stayed awake for days on end and most others slept for little more. Everyone was struggling and parched. To simply be able to swallow, the crew was given meat to suck the blood out of. They faced devilish winds that drove them off their path and away from each other but in the end, the crew always found each other and continued to head to land (this is why this is a remarkable tale). 
     One of the main captains, Frank Worsley, really shone here with his ability to navigate. He stayed in the same spot for six days, navigating his little ship and helping others to get to the island. On the sixth day, he ended up needing sleep but was soon woken with a kick when with only a few hundred yards between them and the island, the wind picked up again. Worsley immediately sprang into action and refused to be stopped. As they neared, they spent a while searching for a good spot to land, which was much easier said than done. A young fella by the name of Buckaroo was so frostbitten on his feet that he would never walk again and because of this, Shackleton wanted him to be the first person to land on Elephant Island (for the glory). Despite their probable injuries, they were finally on land, after 487 days of movable land. The crew made quick work of three seals and they gorged on to their heart's content. They then slept, but not for too long, since the surrounding area was still unsafe. Shackleton sent Frank to look for another place to land while the rest of the crew kept eating and refreshing themselves. That night, Frank came back and reported that there was only one plausible spot that was hospitable. The crew set out the following morning and safely made it to that location with Worsley's help. Unfortunately, this location was not much better because there was little protection from the blizzards that roared. 
     Shackleton's next course of action was to travel hundreds of miles across the open ocean to call for rescue. Most had known for a while that this was the end plan, so Shackleton decided who he would take and who would be left behind. Worsley prepared his navigation tools and everyone else prepared the boats. They said their goodbyes to the ones who were staying and then were on their way. 
     On land, Frank and a good part of the crew quickly got to work. They built a makeshift shelter out of rocks and the remaining boat and then tended to some injuries from the rough voyages. They stayed in relatively good moods because of the surplus of food and the cook’s several sweet meals. The only thing weighing them down was the inevitability of winter (winter is coming) which was fast approaching. They continued to get more comfortable with their life on the island, including trading duties for food or bartering food for a feast every couple of days. Blackboro’s foot had to be essentially cut off because of the frostbite. Winter came and went, and all of the crew surprised in surprisingly good spirits. However, as the days rolled by, they feared that rescue was not coming, and although they hated to admit it, they needed to consider alternate options. Slowly, supplies began to run out such as powdered milk and tobacco, which led to the crew smoking whatever they could get their hands on.
     On the other side, Shackleton and Worsley began the journey with the others to reach Cape Horn. They spent four days on the first third of the journey and encountered the ceaseless huge waves that at first scared them but soon became routine. They took shifts at all of the different positions and had difficulties all-around handling the cold and tough positions. Worsley and Shackleton constantly were on the lookout for icebergs as that would be a quick end to their journey. At some point when the seas were too rough, they decided to anchor themselves and wait until they calmed. The crew constantly cleared off ice that formed on the boat to stop it from getting too heavy. Finally, when all seemed stabilized, they continued on. With several days of good weather, the crew had only 250 miles left of their 700-mile journey. The crew dried a bunch of their gear and with drier supplies, their confidence and morale soared. They experienced more huge waves that threatened to submerge their boat but the boat stayed afloat with constant bailing of the water. 
     As they neared the island, they discovered that their water supply had run low and was infected by salt water. Therefore they would have to make a desperate attempt toward land. Due to the mist, Worsley couldn’t accurately determine their location but put them around 60 miles off. As they continued to travel NW, they had a suppressed excitement about finally getting off the boat, but as they kept going, they saw no signs of land. After they anxiously waited and waited, almost giving up, they found it. The crew had to get around the island as the breaking waves would capsize the boat and nature did everything it could to put a stop to their dream. For the next day, the crew constantly bailed water and did whatever they could to keep the boat on course. In the end, they found the spot they wanted to land but the wind kept blowing them away from the shore. The water constantly threatened to submerge them, and at one point, the men truly believed that death was inevitable. With them being so close to the island, the boats would submerged and die, with no drinkable water to comfort them. By some miracle, though, they found themselves on shore. 
     They quickly located the nearest stream and drank to their heart's content. The next question was getting the supplies for the boat. They found a small little cave and took what they could off the boat but found that they weren’t strong enough to take the boat. So, one person took watch to keep the boat from leaving. In the morning, they decided they would have to make the 30-mile impossible overland journey to get help. Shackleton, Worsley, and one other, a man named Crean, volunteered to make the journey. After patiently waiting for good weather to arrive, recovering in the meantime, the trio commenced their journey. They traversed several inclines and were forced to stop and turn around several times. The most exhilarating part of the journey came when they were so high up they would freeze, and the only way to get down was to slide (gotta do what you gotta do). After they reached the bottom, they laughed at how unbelievably successful it was. Next, they had to lower down several other cliffs using ropes and they whistled, hearing one in return. With extreme caution, they made their way to the whaling station. The workers at the station were extremely confused to see the three men come from the interior of the mountain with their long hair and parkas. Shackleton told them to lead him to their leader’s house and when he got there, the leader turned away and wept. They had made it! Shackleton quickly made orders to gather the rest of the crew of South Georgia island (the one they were currently on) and Elephant Island. 
     Meanwhile, the crew of Elephant Island made their routine visit to the top of the mountain, expecting nothing, but this time, they couldn’t believe their eyes: a ship was coming. They got on board and left for home. Though the mission to cross the continent was a failure, their Endurance and determination to survive were not. (No one perished on the entire mission, an incredible feat by an incredible crew led by an incredible captain. Not much else I can say. It truly is a tale of a century. Thank you for reading and I hope you are inspired to take on your own adventure.)