The men left behind on Elephant Island; ca. 1916

After their ship became frozen in ice, 28 men and Ernest Shackleton (the expedition leader) sailed the lifeboat to elephant island, an island no one had ever stepped foot on. Knowing they wouldn’t be rescued, Shackleton took 5 men to sail 800 miles to a whaling station to get help. The remaining men stayed on the island having to create shelter, procure food etc, and hope that the others would be able to send rescue. After four failed attempts because of heavy ice, all the men were finally rescued. The men had spent 4 and a half months stranded on the island.

Fate of the crew:

Most of these men went straight into the meat grinder of WWI. Some were dead over the next few years.

March 28, 2016 | Categories: Arctic Exploration, Human History, Images of History, Photography, Polar Explorers | Tags: Antarctica, elephant island, endurance, Ernest Shackleton, History, Photography, Polar exploration, Polar explorer, Polar explorers, Shackleton | 1 Comment