About Sir Ernest Shackleton

Sir Ernest Shackleton never made it to the South Pole. He never reached his goal of crossing the Antarctic continent, either. Yet Shackleton has gone down in history as one of the finest heroes of Polar exploration, a man who overcame great odds in the faces of danger and adversity to help cultivate one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. His leadership skills on the 1914 - 1917 Trans-Antarctica Expedition, widely known as the Endurance expedition in honor of the ship's name, saved his 27-man crew from fatally succumbing to the frigid temperatures and icy waters of the Antarctic seas after their ship was crushed in ice. Miles from land and cut off from all human contact, Shackleton managed to keep his crew - and hope - alive despite the tremendous odds stacked against them.

Who was Ernest Shackleton?

Ernest Shackleton was born on February 15, 1874, in Kilkea, Ireland, the second of ten children. Shackleton and his siblings enjoyed a middle-upper class upbringing due to their father's employment as a physician. At 10 years old, the family moved to England, where Shackleton went to school for the first time. At 15, he realized his desire to pursue a life at sea. Though Shackleton's father was disappointed with his son's career choice, he nonetheless helped the teen secure a position as a cabin-boy. Upon completion of school in 1890, Shackleton traveled to Liverpool and joined the crew of the Hoghton Tower as an apprentice.

Shackleton was homesick and uncomfortable on his first four years at sea. Facing violent storms and carrying out backbreaking work, he couldn't even find solace in his shipmates, whose drinking and gambling Shackleton despised. After his four-year apprenticeship was complete, Shackleton took exams every two years to advance to higher positions and earned his master's certificate, which allowed him to serve as captain for any ship in the merchant marine.

Shackleton sailed his last commercial voyages on the Tintagel Castle and Carisbrooke Castle. Having heard of the Belgica, a scientific expedition that left Chili in 1897 for Antarctica, Shackleton became intrigued with Antarctic exploration. In order to learn more, he joined the Royal Geographical Society in 1899. He was later appointed as junior officer on Robert F. Scott's Discovery expedition, which would attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole. The Discovery set sail on July 31, 1901.

Once the Discovery reached Antarctica, Scott chose Shackleton and another crewman to join him on the dangerous 1600-mile trek to and from the South Pole. Unfortunately, Scott didn't pack enough food rations for their trip; by late December, all three men exhibited signs of scurvy. At 460 miles short of the Pole, they had to turn back. Shackleton appeared the worst of the three men. Along with scurvy and starvation, he suffered from heart and lung problems. Soon after they returned to the ship, Scott demanded that the sick, but recovering, Shackleton go home on a relief boat. In the end, there wasn't much to show for the two-year expedition, and one crewman had died en route.

At home, he continued to shape himself for another future with Antarctic exploration, editing Royal Magazine to make connections and later becoming an influential officer of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. By this time, he had become financially sufficient to marry Emily Dorman on April 9, 1904. A few years later, on November 3, 1908, Shackleton set sail on the Nimrod expedition in an attempt to reach the South Pole. By November 26, the Nimrod had already sailed further than the Discovery had in the same period of time. However, the Nimrod expedition was marked by problems that hindered its success. Shackleton and three fellow crewmen fell short of the Pole by 97 miles. While the Pole wasn't reached successfully, the Nimrod certainly wasn't a failure. For starters, Shackleton beat the record set by Robert F. Scott as the closest men to reach the South Pole. Furthermore, the expedition was the first to climb the 1300-foot Mount Erebus, where the crew performed important scientific readings and observations.

Shackleton's fame spread all over the world. He was hailed a hero and knighted by the King of England. Polar exploration became huge, and different countries competed to claim victory. Robert F. Scott took another stab at reaching the South Pole, but it was Norway's Roald Amundsen who successfully reached the target first on December 14, 1911. By this time, Shackleton was already organizing his Endurance expedition. His goal was to cross the entire Antarctic continent, from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. He would be unsuccessful. Instead, the crew would embark on an agonizing journey to return home safely, becoming one of the most extraordinary sea voyages of all time.

Shackleton's Previous Expeditions

I. Discovery (1902) led by Robert F. Scott:

• Shackleton "life and soul" of the ship

• Shackleton first to discover vegetation, spot new land and ship inefficiencies

• Discovered new land, Edward VII Land

• Shackleton one of three men chosen to march toward S. Pole

• Discovered & named Mt. Markham

• Came within 480 miles of the pole; traveled 300 more miles south than anyone previously had

• Shackleton suffers from heart and lung ailments

• Scott forces Shackleton to return home early

• Shackleton basks in glory from awaiting public

II. Nimrod (1907):

• Came within 100 miles of S. Pole; beat record set by Discovery

• First to climb Mt. Erebus (13,350 feet high)

• Wrote and printed Aurora Australis while at base camp

• Earned Shackleton a Knighthood in 1909

• Earned Shackleton worldwide fame

• Wrote Heart of the Antarctic about the expedition