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Antarctic Exploration:Ernest Shackleton (1872 - 1922)
Sir Ernest
Henry Shackleton was a British explorer, born in Ireland. He was involved in many expeditions attempting to reach the South Pole.
His first voyage was with Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Edward
Wilson in 1901-1904, when they travelled by sledge over the Ross
Ice Shelf, almost reaching the South Pole.
In 1907-1909, Shackleton led a British Antarctic Expedition. Travelling by sledge, the expedition got to about 150 km short of the South Pole. During this expedition, the Victoria Land Plateau was claimed for Britain. Shackleton was knighted on his return home.
Shackleton led
another British Expedition (1914-16) which planned to cross Antarctica
from the Weddell Sea to McMurdo Sound, a distance of about 3,200
km. Instead, they drifted at sea for 10 months, and their ship
Endurance was crushed by pack ice in 1915. The crew escaped
to Elephant Island. Shackleton and some of the crew travelled
in a life boat for about 1,400 kms to get help, and then rescued
the others.
The Crew of Endurance
On his last expedition to Antarctica, Shackleton died aboard ship and was buried on South Georgia Island. Sir Raymond Priestley, an explorer who accompanied Shackleton on the 1907-1913 Antarctic expedition, said, "For scientific leadership, give me Scott; for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems to be no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton."
Click here to see photographs of the Endurance expedition taken by the expedition photographer Frank Hurley, with notes from his diary
If you use any part of
this, acknowledge it in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham & Thomas, Antarctica [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2001)
updated © [2007] kidcyber