The wreck of the Endurance was found at a depth of 3,000 meters, the ship protagonist of one of the most incredible exploration adventures that in 1915, under the guidance of Ernest Shackleton, aimed to cross Antarctica.
The perfectly preserved wreck was filmed by submarine rovers off the Weddel Sea by the Endurance 22 expedition. Made in Norwegian shipyards specifically for extreme polar missions, the Endurance was considered one of the strongest and most advanced ships of its kind. it was chosen by the famous British explorer Shackleton to carry out one of the most ambitious missions of the time: the crossing on foot and by sled of the Antarctic continent.
However, the mission failed even before starting because a few weeks after departure the ship was stuck in the ice in the Weddel Sea, far from where it should have left the group of explorers. For months the ship remained at the mercy of the ice until it had to be abandoned by the crew and on 21 November 1915 it sank, completely "crushed" by the ice. After months of enormous difficulties, unforeseen events and scarce supplies, all 28 crewmen managed to escape incredibly.
After 107 years, the "Endurance22" expedition, organized by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, managed to identify and film the incredibly intact remains of the ship that inspired the dreams of many subsequent adventurers: one of the Crew Dragon space capsules is also named after the ship. by SpaceX.
Much of the three masts, 44 meters long and found at 3,008 meters deep, has remained perfectly preserved in the cold Antarctic waters, and it is still possible to read the name engraved in gold letters on the stern: “Endurance”.
(Unioneonline / vl)
