Video footage from Antarctica has just been released showcasing the discovery of the wreckage of "Endurance", Ernest Shackleton's famed ship that sank more than 100 years ago.
The footage is amazing! The cold waters and lack of wood-eating marine organisms in the Weddel Sea have kept the ship in surprisingly good condition. Captured by battery operated sea drones, the footage clearly showcases an amazingly preserved ship. There's damage on the surface and the masts have cracked, but you can still see the name "Endurance" and a five-pointed star on the stern. Check out the video below but I encourage you to stick around for the story afterwards, because it is the reason the wreck of "Endurance" is so well known.
Okay, story time.
Back in 1915 Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 explorers set out to become the first people to cross Antarctica. Reaching a bay in the Weddell Sea the crew was surprised by the large amount of ice produced in the area. With less than 100 miles left in their initial trek, Endurance became stuck in the ice and was left to drift with said ice for MORE THAN 10 MONTHS as the ice slowly wrecked the ship. As the ship took on damage and ultimately water, the crew unloaded it's boats and supplies to set up camp on top of the ice where they would survive for five months as the ship slowly sank.
EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of the crew survived and lived to tell the story of Endurance.
There's actually some video footage of the situation that shows the dire situation with the ship stuck in the ice.