(ConservativeHub.com) – The world’s waterways are vast areas that remain largely untouched by civilization. When a ship sinks, it can take a long time to find the wreckage. The Endurance sank in 1915, but nobody unearthed it until now.
The crew on Agulhas II out of South Africa, funded by Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, discovered the wreckage 10,000 feet under the Weddell Sea. Video footage from the team shows a ship in immaculate shape, which scientists attribute to the absence of wood-eating microbes in the frigid waters of the Antarctic. The name is still clearly discernible on the hull.
Lost for over 107 years, The Endurance ran into trouble two days into a voyage in Antarctica in 1914. After the ship got caught in ice, Captain Ernest Shackleton saved his crew of 27 by getting them off the boat. Although survival wasn’t easy, they all made it home. The vessel floated about for almost a year before sinking in November 1915.
The Agulhas II crew, led by Polar geographer Dr. John Shears and marine archaeologist Mensun Bound, remains at the site, studying the wreckage. They will leave the ship untouched, not even collecting artifacts because it’s a designated monument under the Antarctic Treaty. The group is working to gain more insight into Shackleton’s voyage.
Dan Snow, a filmmaker documenting the expedition to find the ship for National Geographic’s EXPLORER series, said the discovery was challenging yet exciting. He said finding the wreckage is the continuation of The Endurance’s story.
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