Famed British Polar Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's last expedition ship, the Quest, just found off the coast of Canada
Famed British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's last expedition ship, the Quest, has been found at the bottom of the Atlantic off Canada's coast, searchers have announced.
A Legendary Story of Endurance and Resilience
While Europe was fighting World War One, Shackleton faced a whole other battle in one of the harshest parts of our planet. He is well known for his 1915 expedition in Antarctica when his ship, the “Endurance” became trapped in the ice. Ten months later the boat sank in the icy seas of the South Pole leaving no other choice to the crew of 28 men to face the inhospitality of the frozen wilderness.
The story of their epic escape has become legendary. In April 1916, they set off in three small boats, eventually reaching Elephant Island. Using just a sextant for navigation, Shackleton took five crew members with him in an attempt to go and find help. In a small boat, together the six men spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to reach South Georgia and then trekked across the island to a whaling station.
Defying mountainous seas and freezing temperatures, the 17-day trek in the small open boat is considered one of the most remarkable achievements in maritime history. The remaining men from the 'Endurance' were rescued in August 1916. All 28 expedition members survived. Not one member of the expedition died. 'South', Shackleton's account of the 'Endurance' expedition, was published in 1919 after the end of WWI.
Shackleton’s Last Expedition Ship: When History Repeats Itself
Seven years later following the epic rescue mission in Antarctica, Shackleton died of a heart attack at age 47 aboard the Quest, his new ship, when it was anchored off the coast of South Georgia.
The Quest went on to be used for other expeditions, Arctic rescues, and by the Canadian Navy as a minesweeper during World War II before resuming its original work as a seal-hunting vessel.
In 1962 it was damaged by ice and sank off the coast of Newfoundland. All of its Norwegian crew survived. Story does repeat itself!
The new discovery of The Quest, the last expedition ship of Shackleton, at the bottom of the Atlantic by Canadian wreck hunters is of historical importance. Lost for more than 60 years, it has been discovered intact on the ocean floor, less than half a kilometre off the Labrador Sea's south coast, as reported by the expedition leader John Geiger, CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The area is in waters off Mi'kmaw, Innu and Inuit territories.
The discovery was six years in the making for the RCGS crew. Using sonar operated by Marine Institute staff, the international team say they found the Quest off the coast near Battle Harbour on Sunday, June 9, 2024, five days into an expedition that left June 5 and was plagued by technological issues.
The Spirit of the Late Explorers Still Lives On
Shackelton's granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton was a patron of the expedition to find the Quest and the rescue expedition of the ship was also a good reason to tell and remind people about the great stories of Shackleton's exploration heritage. The impetus for the expedition to actually set sail came from rumours that another company was planning its own voyage to claim the discovery and would have involved billionaires owning yachts. The RCGS crew had at heart to keep the spirit of pure exploration intact and so took matters in their own hands.
As many people around the world are embarking on their own journey of self-discovery where the ordinary gives way to the extraordinary, this discovery of the Quest takes on a new meaning. Challenging the mundane, it invites us to go on our own quest, transcend the ordinary and explore the veiled spiritual essence that the world hesitates to reveal. What will we find when we manage to reach the wreck of the Quest? It is up for each one of us to look at it with our own eyes, just like our inner journey is unique for each one of us.