Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

VGNonly

(8,272 posts)
13. Iron men in wooden ships!
Wed Mar 9, 2022, 02:21 PM
Mar 2022

I'm somewhat surprised that the vessel is in such good shape. When the she sank, it was shipping water, the seams were spread, the rigging and masts were mostly down. The crew endured freezing water to salvage what they could. Frank Hurley the photographer, dove in to save the glass plates.

What sank the Endurance was that while it was a very strong ship, it was wall sided. It did not rise when the ice squeezed it. The Norwegian ship Fram was round bottomed, it could rise. The Fram was used by Nansen, Sverdrup and Amundsen, it still exists.

The small vessel used by Shackleton was the James Caird which also exists. Six of the crew sailed about 800 miles in winter conditions to reach South Georgia Island. Shackleton, Frank Worsley the expert navigator and Tom Crean the second officer then crossed the island in 9,000 foot Alpine altitudes to reach a whaling station to secure rescue.



Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»BBC: Endurance: Shackleto...»Reply #13