Trapped in the Ice: How the Expedition Went Downhill
The Imperial-Transatlantic expedition was the brainchild of the famed Arctic explorer Ernest Shackelton. His first expedition, the Nimrod expedition, brought him fame and branded him a hero, but was ultimately unsuccessful in its objective to reach the South Pole. Just a few years later, the South Pole was discovered, but Shackelton still had polar fever. So he set his sights on a new goal; his new expedition would be the first transcontinental journey across the Antarctic from sea to sea, crossing the pole.
The plan was for Shackelton and his crew to sail on one ship, the Endurance, from South Georgia to the Weddell Sea. Shackleton and six men –including Orde-Lees– would then trek to the South Pole and Beardmore Glacier, while others would stay on shore for scientific observations. Shackleton and crew would be met by a second ship, the Aurora, coming from Australia, at Beardmore Glacier for supplies and then the full team would trek back to the Aurora and sail out.
However, the team on Endurance didn’t even make it to shore. After setting sail from South Georgia on December 5th, 1914, the ship made slow progress, continuously stopped by ice. On January 18th, the ship became stuck permanently, and despite their best efforts to force a passage, they could not break free. The photo on the left, taken by the expedition photographer Thomas Hurley, shows the ship from the exterior, stuck in the ice and tilted sideways. Despite their best efforts, the men could not break the ship free.
The men continued to live on the ship while it was stuck, and even while the ship began to drift with the ice on February 22nd, continuing to drift for almost a year until October 27. Thomas Orde-Lees’ incredibly detailed drawing on the right illuminates the day-to-day life of living on a tilted ship, making the understandably uncomfortable living arrangements in a tilted ship crystal clear. Somewhat unusual for an expedition diary, Thomas Orde-Lees’ has several detailed drawings throughout its pages, which bring the day-to-day experience to life in a way that photos, usually reserved for important events, or even words cannot.
Shackelton’s diary page on the right contains the emergency protocol he devised for if the ice broke under their camp, containing instructions for each man’s role. The primary document conveys more than just the words alone. This image of Shackleton’s diary encourages its viewers to visualize the context in which Shackleton wrote these instructions. For example, one can see holes and dark stains on the left side of the page, which are from the smoke from the blubber stove. Analyzing this image is thus not only important for the words but also for understanding the context behind the written words.
On October 27, Shackleton ordered the men to abandon the ship. The men now attempted to march across the ice, periodically returning to the ship until November 21, when the ship sunk. The new objective of the expedition was now survival. The party was stuck on drifting ice, too far from land, and with only the lifeboats. When the ice the men were camped on finally split, Shackleton decided they would make the 100-mile journey on the three lifeboats to Elephant Island. From there they might be able to reach South Georgia, he thought.
Works Cited
Hurley, Frank. “Endurance Final Sinking” Wikipedia. 1 Nov 1915. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Expedition Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
NOVA Online | Shackleton’s Voyage of Endurance | Diary of a Survivor | PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/diary.html. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge » Virtual Shackleton - Articles. https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/archives/shackleton/articles/1537,2,33,4,3.html#images. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
Shackleton, Ernest. “Emergency Evacuation Instructions for Ocean Camp, Endurance Expedition.” University of Cambridge Scott Polar Research Institute. 1915, Accessed 11 November 2024.
Thomas Orde-Lees diary, Mss-185. Rauner Library Archives and Manuscripts. https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/2266 Accessed October 26, 2024.