A discovery over a century in the making!
In order to find the ship, an expedition team made use of the coordinates Captain Frank Worsley wrote down when the vessel sank, according to theFalklands Maritime Heritage Trust, which organized the search.
The vessel ended up being located just four miles south of those coordinates at a depth of almost 10,000 feet in the Weddell Sea.
But the most amazing part of the discovery? The shipwreck is so well-preserved that even the name of the ship can still be clearly seen across the stern.
Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and National Geographic
“The preservation is beyond imagination,” Mensun Bound, director of exploration at the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, toldNBC Newson Wednesday. “It is virtually intact.”
One factor that likely played a huge role in ship preservation was the “super cold” water temperature of the Weddell Sea, historian Dan Snow told NBC News.
The Endurance shipwreck.Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust and National Geographic
In addition to uncovering a major piece of maritime history, the team behind the discovery hopes to inspire the next generation of explorers.
“We hope our discovery will engage young people and inspire them with the pioneering spirit, courage and fortitude of those who sailed Endurance to Antarctica,” Bound said in the press release.
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Expedition Leader Dr. John Shears went on to note that the crew also undertook “important scientific research in a part of the world that directly affects the global climate and environment.”
The shipwreck will be protected as a Historic Site and Monument, ensuring that it will not be disturbed.
Although his previous trips to Antarctica were hailed as successes, with the Anglo-Irish explorer even being knighted in 1909, this voyage did not go the way the explorer had initially hoped.
The Endurance trapped in ice.The Endurance trapped in ice.The Endurance trapped in ice.PHOTO: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesThe Endurance trapped in ice.PHOTO: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
The Endurance trapped in ice.The Endurance trapped in ice.
The Endurance trapped in ice.
The Endurance trapped in ice.PHOTO: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesThe Endurance trapped in ice.PHOTO: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
After his ship became trapped in ice before even reaching land in 1915, all 28 men on board were forced to abandon ship, per the trust.
The men then spent months drifting in makeshift camps on the ice before finally escaping to Elephant Island, which was “inhospitable” and “uninhabited.”
source: people.com
