Posted on 03/06/2011 4:14:27 AM PST by Daffynition
Excellent, thanks Daffy.Am just reading Patrick O’Brian so this wonderful shot of a square-rigger is very welcome.
But, but....but doesn’t these photos prove global warming?
Beautiful ship.
Given the paucity of technical equipment of the day, it is amazing that anyone survived these expeditions in an environment almost unsurvivable.
Colonel Norman Vaughan of the 1918 Byrd expedition
Compared to the two men that reached the pole, Shackleton’s contribution may seem infinitesimal, but historians remark that Shackleton and his men shared one of the most amazing adventures ever documented. Shackleton’s early expeditions included the first journey to the southern magnetic pole and charting a route through the trans-antarctic mountains that was later used by Scott on his southward trek. Being that the pole had already been conquered, Shackleton decided the next great quest would be to traverse the continent from shore to shore.
Tragically, this expedition was put to a halt when Shackleton’s ship (ironically called the HMS Endurance) was trapped in pack ice and eventually crushed, stranding the crew the near by Elephant Island. For almost a year the crew survived on seal, penguin and whale meat. They used seal blubber to make oil for fires to stay warm, and in one popular photo were seen playing soccer on the ice shelf. Shackleton realized that without help they couldn’t live like this forever, and decided to use the surviving longboats to make a treacherous voyage to a whaling station on the remote south Georgia island, 800 miles northward. With little food and water, and no medical supplies, Shackleton and five of his men braved the ice-packed seas. After weeks, they landed on South Georgia island, starving and suffering from dehydration. Unfortunately, they’d landed on the uninhabited southern coast, so for the last arduous leg of the journey Shackleton and his men had to cross a mountain range that no one had previously crossed. He reached the whaling station and started to work on an expedition to rescue his crew. After almost a year and a half marooned in the antarctic, Shackleton’s crew was finally met with relief ships that took them home. Despite the fact his trans antarctic expedition was, ultimately, a failure as a voyage, it was a victory for the tenacity of the human spirit.
Bttt ....
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Looks warm, but not very happy
There was another component to the Trans-Antarctic expedition - the men at the other end who were entrusted with laying supply depots for the later part of the route. They had no idea the expedition had failed at the onset, so they labored, suffered and died fulfilling that mission.
great photos ping
Shackleton’s navigation from Antarctica to the S. Georgia Islands is considered one of the greatest navigational feats in history. Remarkably, not one man from the Endurance died. There is a great scene from the movie/miniseries Shackleton where Shackleton (Kenneth Branagh) returns to retrieve the men he left behind and as he nears the shore he counts the men he sees with his finger in the air and realizes that they’re all alive.
Great movie, if you haven’t seen it.
Thank you. I’m going to look on Netflix for it. :)
Most excellent thread - bookmark for links
I knew about the egg powder, but Hurried Rabbit?
Is that Anderson Cooper?
excellent discussion, bookmark
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