Endurance Expedition

The Endurance Expedition was Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 to 1917, which aimed to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. The ship Endurance was beset and crushed by pack ice in the Weddell Sea, sinking in November 1915 and stranding 28 men. Shackleton led the party across ice and open water to Elephant Island, then sailed the lifeboat James Caird 800 nautical miles to South Georgia for rescue. All survived. The feat is a defining episode of polar seamanship and leadership.