Shackleton's 2IC finally buried at Gritviken on Sth Georgia.

[skuthorp]

After 90 years Frank Wild, Shackletons 2IC in the polar expedition was finally buried beside his friend in the whalers graveyard graveyard at Gritviken on South Georgia. He died in South Africa and was buried on the eve of WW2, but always desired to lie beside his leader. http://www.theage.com.au/world/after-90-years-antarctic-explorers-at-rest-side-by-side-20111128-1o3bz.html
Pic by my FIL, a few more here http://intheboatshed.net/2008/12/03/the-grim-grandeur-of-south-georgia/
http://intheboatshed.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/stromness-cemetary.jpg

I also note that at the other end of the earth Canadian archaeologists are looking for Franklin's ships
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10705564

[J. Dillon]

A little more about ths epic adventure :

Already a celebrated polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton coordinated the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition with the goal of accomplishing the first crossing of the Antarctic continent, a feat he considered to be the last great polar journey of the "Heroic Age of Exploration."
In December 1914, Shackleton set sail with his 27-man crew, many of whom, it is said, had responded to the following recruitment notice: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. —Ernest Shackleton."
Ice conditions were unusually harsh, and the wooden ship, which Shackleton had renamed Endurance after his family motto, Fortitudine Vincimus—"by endurance we conquer," became trapped in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea. For 10 months, the Endurance drifted, locked within the ice, until the pressure crushed the ship. With meager food, clothing and shelter, Shackleton and his men were stranded on the ice floes, where they camped for five months.
When they had drifted to the northern edge of the pack, encountering open leads of water, the men sailed the three small lifeboats they'd salvaged to a bleak crag called Elephant Island. They were on land for the first time in 497 days; however, it was uninhabited and, due to its distance from shipping lanes, provided no hope for rescue.
Recognizing the severity of the physical and mental strains on his men, Shackleton and five others immediately set out to take the crew's rescue into their own hands. In a 22-foot lifeboat named the James Caird, they accomplished the impossible, surviving a 17-day, 800-mile journey through the world's worst seas to South Georgia Island, where a whaling station was located.
The six men landed on an uninhabited part of the island, however, so their last hope was to cross 26 miles of mountains and glaciers, considered impassable, to reach the whaling station on the other side. Starved, frostbitten and wearing rags, Shackleton and two others made the trek and, in August 1916, 21 months after the initial departure of the Endurance, Shackleton himself returned to rescue the men on Elephant Island. Although they'd withstood the most incredible hardship and privation, not one member of the 28-man crew was lost.
To learn more about the Endurance expedition, visit the NOVA/PBS Online Adventure site by clicking the logo below. http://forum.woodenboat.com/images/logo-nova.gif
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackletonexped/1914/)

[The Bigfella]

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."

Sounds like a pretty fair description of marriage.

[Iceboy]

Fair description but somewhat of an urban legend. As far as I know, no one has ever produced a copy of that ad. At any rate I think it is great that Frank finally got his wish.
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."

Sounds like a pretty fair description of marriage.

[M. J. Notigan]

Possibly the greatest single rescue in recorded history. A testament of human courage and perserverance, in an age of when boats were made of wood and men were made of iron. In the times we live in today, when leadership seems to be one where the leader sticks his thumb out in the political winds to see which way the winds blow the easiest; we could certainly use men of courage like Captain Shackleton and his crews..... thanks for posting this story!
Take Care,
Mike

[earling2]

I think you'd have to plumb obscure European working classes to find guys as tough as that nowadays. I mean, literally, guys that tough pretty much don't live here anymore. Seems to me. I've only met a few in my life (one New Zealand, one English)

Even the guys who tried to duplicate the journey had modern gear and were being watched over the whole time. And didn't start the trip after a year and a half on the ice, or in a victorian era wooden ship with flukey heating, wearing all natural fibers, no refrigeration!!

[J. Dillon]

A few here might be interested in the position sextant sights taken aboard the James Caird during this voyage. Can you imagine the conditions when making these observations ?

JD


http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7965/jamescairdsextantsights.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4310/jamescairdart1.jpg

[Hwyl]

I always point out in these threads that Shackleton's daring do pales in comparison to the tribulations suffered in the so called great war

[earling2]

I always point out in these threads that Shackleton's daring do pales in comparison to the tribulations suffered in the so called great war

With The Old Breed and Peleliu and Okinawa, unbelievable book

[Gerarddm]

He meant WWI, not WWII.

[skuthorp]

There is a book, http://questforfrankwild.com/
P (http://questforfrankwild.com/)ic of Wilde and Shackleton in 1915 here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/antarctica/8917630/Forgotten-hero-Frank-Wild-of-Antarctic-exploration-finally-laid-to-rest-beside-his-boss-Sir-Ernest-Shackleton.html

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Fair description but somewhat of an urban legend. As far as I know, no one has ever produced a copy of that ad. At any rate I think it is great that Frank finally got his wish.

On the other hand, "Hands wanted for long voyage in small boat; no pay, no prospects, not much pleasure" is absolutely genuine and was a regular, if infrequent, feature of the Times personal column from 1952 to 1977.

[Willin']

On the other hand, "Hands wanted for long voyage in small boat; no pay, no prospects, not much pleasure" is absolutely genuine and was a regular, if infrequent, feature of the Times personal column from 1952 to 1977.

Care to elaborate, Andrew? There's got to be a good story here. Possibly Heyerdahl?

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

http://www.comlay.net/tilman/

[Willin']

Woof! Very cool!

[rbgarr]

Although they'd withstood the most incredible hardship and privation, not one member of the 28-man crew was lost.

As I understand it, one of the objectives of the expedition was to cross a major portion of Antarctica and meet another Shackleton- organized group landed by some vessel on that far side. Does anyone know if that's true and what may have happened to that group?

[Hwyl]

Woof! Very cool! Cooler still that ACB was cook on one of his expeditions

[Iceboy]

True indeed. There was the Ross sea component of the expedition that is mostly overlooked. 3 members died and this portion of the expedition was stranded for 2 plus years suffering to the extreme. I have a book about it somewhere around here. I'll have to see if I can locate it.

As I understand it, one of the objectives of the expedition was to cross a major portion of Antarctica and meet another Shackleton- organized group landed by some vessel on that far side. Does anyone know if that's true and what may have happened to that group?

[callsign222]

As I understand it, one of the objectives of the expedition was to cross a major portion of Antarctica and meet another Shackleton- organized group landed by some vessel on that far side. Does anyone know if that's true and what may have happened to that group?

Two books on this that I know about: "Shackleton's Forgotten Men" and "The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party".

It was bad, to say the least.

[Willin']

Cooler still that ACB was cook on one of his expeditions

Well, now your just bragging, ACB!


Just kidding, of course. I need to read much more about this stuff. Not much adventuring of this type going on any more.