Sir Ernest Shackleton, Endurance Voyage
Timeline and Map
1 - departure | 2 - trapped and crushed | 3 - journey to South Georgia | 4 - rescue | this page, time-line and map | crew of the Endurance
| Event and key to map | Time since leaving England | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sail from England |
Departure |
August 8th 1914 |
| 1 Depart Grytviken whaling station, South Georgia | 3 months, 27days | December 5th 1914 |
| 2 Entered pack ice | 3 months, 29 days | December 7th 1914 |
| 3 Endurance trapped | 5 months, 10 days | January 18th 1915 |
| 4 Endurance crushed, ship abandoned | 14 months, 19 days | October 27th 1915 |
| 5 Endurance sinks | 15 months, 13 days | November 21st 1915 |
| 6 Launch boats for Elephant Island | 20 months, 1 day | April 9th 1916 - arrive Elephant Island April 15th |
| 7 Boat journey to South Georgia | 2 week journey - 21 months 2 days on arrival at S.G. | April 24th - May 10th 1916 |
| 8 Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean reach Stromness whaling station | 21 months, 12 days | May 20th 1916 |
| 9 Three crew members rescued from a beach on South Georgia | 21 months, 13 days | May 21st 1916 |
| 10 Remainder of the crew rescued from Elephant Island | 24 months, 22 days | August 30th 1916 |
Download information in box below - as a Word file | as a pdf
Sir Ernest Shackleton, Endurance Expedition Time Line
August 1st 1914 - The Endurance sets sail from London.
November 5th 1914 - Arrival at Grytviken whaling station, South Georgia.
December 5th 1914 - Set sail for Antarctica, last contact with the outside world for 18 months, last contact with land for 497 days.
December 7th 1914 - First encounter with pack-ice.
January 18th 1915 - Endurance becomes beset, frozen into heavy pack ice a day's sail from the intended landfall.
February 22nd 1915 - Furthest south position reached at 77°S 35°W, the ice now starts to drift north carrying the Endurance with it.
August 1st 1915 - Ice surrounding the ship starts to break and push over itself, dogs brought on board.
September 1st 1915 - Ice pressure begins to act upon the ship.
October 27th 1915 - The Endurance is badly damaged by the pressure of ice acting upon her and leaking, Shackleton orders her to be abandoned, stores and equipment are taken onto the sea-ice and a camp established.
November 1st 1915 - After an attempt to march with boats and sleds, "Ocean Camp" is established a mile and a half from the Endurance.
November 21st 1915 - The broken and splintered Endurance sinks below the ice into the Weddell Sea.
December 22nd 1915 - Kept as Christmas Day, all remaining luxuries were eaten, the last really good meal for 8 months.
December 23rd 1915 - Ocean Camp is abandoned to try to move westwards to Paulet Island and a substantial food depot. Crew and dogs drag sleds and three lifeboats across the sea-ice.
December 29th 1915 - Very broken-up un-negotiable ice is met, a new camp is established "Patience Camp" , they were to live on the floe for nearly three and a half months.
April 9th 1916 - Ice floes breaking up and open water meant It was time to take to the boats and head towards the South Shetland Islands.
April 15th 1916 - Landfall at Elephant Island, the first time in 497 days.
April 24th 1916 - Shackleton and 5 others set off in the James Caird for South Georgia.
May 10th 1916 - James Caird arrives at King Haakon Bay, South Georgia.
May 19th 1916 - Shackleton, Crean and Worsley set out to cross South Georgia to reach the Stromness whaling station.
May 20th 1916 - Arrival at Stromness whaling station.
May 23rd 1916 - 1st rescue attempt, Shackleton sets out on the Southern Sky, a whaling boat to reach Elephant Island, is turned back by sea-ice and heads north arrives at the Falkland Islands on the 31st of May.
June 10th 1916 - 2nd rescue attempt on a trawler, Instituto de Pesca No. 1 loaned and provisioned by the Uruguayan government, again turned back by ice.
July 12th 1916 - 3rd rescue attempt by the schooner Emma, chartered and provisioned by donations raised at Punta Arenas, Chile also turned back by ice.
August 25th 1916 - 4th rescue attempt by the steam tug Yelcho loaned by the Chilean government successfully retrieves all of those on Elephant Island on August the 30th.
September 3rd 1916 - Yelcho reaches
Punta Arenas with all 28 men of the Endurance expedition.
Ernest Shackleton Books and Video
South - Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition (1919)
original footage - DVD
Shackleton
dramatization
Kenneth Branagh (2002) - DVD
Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure (2001)
IMAX dramatization - DVD
The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Expedition (2000)
PBS NOVA, dramatization with original footage - DVD
Endurance : Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Alfred Lansing (Preface) - Book
South with Endurance: Frank Hurley - official photographer
Book
South! Ernest Shackleton Shackleton's own words
Book
Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer
Book
