The Endurance22 team visit Shackleton’s grave to pay their respects and see a new exhibition celebrating his life at the South Georgia Museum
The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) and the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) were delighted to welcome the Endurance22 Expedition Team to South Georgia following their successful location of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s sunken ship the Endurance last week.
The small island of South Georgia, a beacon of hope in international conservation terms due to the recovery of its ecosystem, is also at the heart of another important story. It is synonymous with Shackleton, as the island played host to the beginning and the conclusion of the ill-fated Endurance Expedition (1914-1917) and is also Shackleton’s final resting place.
The Endurance22 Expedition Team were keen to visit South Georgia to pay respects to Shackleton and toast the explorer at his grave. Whilst there they also visited the South Georgia Museum, operated by SGHT on behalf of GSGSSI, to see an exhibition celebrating Shackleton’s remarkable life and achievements.
Members of the expedition team including Expedition Leader Dr John Shears, and history broadcaster Dan Snow, were able to see artefacts from Endurance that are central to the story, including the almanac used to guide the voyage, a life size replica of the James Caird lifeboat used to reach South Georgia, splinters from the oars and the boat itself, and a scale model of Endurance.
The exhibition ‘Shackleton’s Last Quest’ focuses on Shackleton’s untimely death and his final resting place at Grytviken on the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia and showcases the significance this small British Overseas Territory played in his story. It also looks at his life and the personal qualities that made him so extraordinary, resulting in him still being revered around the world today, a century after his death.
Dr John Shears, the Endurance22 Expedition Leader and veteran polar geographer, said: “After our incredible discovery of Shackleton’s ship Endurance in the Weddell Sea, the Endurance22 expedition onboard the S.A. Agulhas II was very fortunate to be able to stop off and visit the island of South Georgia today (11 March 2022).
“The team visited the whaler’s cemetery at Grytviken where the famous polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried and held a short ceremony to commemorate his life and to pay our respects to the great man.
“Shackleton was buried at South Georgia on 5 March 1922, and we discovered his ship the Endurance deep on the seafloor of the Weddell Sea exactly 100 years later on 5 March 2022.
” While the team were at Grytviken we also took the opportunity to visit the South Georgia Museum and viewed their excellent Shackleton exhibition, including several historic artefacts used on the Endurance Expedition.
“Our visit to Grytviken today was a wonderful and fitting way for us to end our historic mission.’
Amanda Milling, FCDO’s Minister for the Polar Regions, said: “Many congratulations to the Endurance22 expedition on successfully locating the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance.
“The story of this vessel continues to inspire us to understand and protect Antarctica.”
His Excellency The Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Nigel Phillips CBE said: “I want to pay tribute to the remarkable efforts of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust in finding the Endurance – it is truly a historic achievement.
“I recognise also that this success is many years in the making. The story of Shackleton is intimately woven into the story of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, and what makes this discovery even more remarkable is that it occurred in the centenary year of his passing. I extend my congratulations to everyone aboard Argulhas II, and the wider team across the world.”
Laura Sinclair Willis, Chief Executive of the GSGSSI said: “Everyone in the Government was delighted to hear the news of this historic discovery by the team from Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.
“We are equally delighted that they were able to visit South Georgia and the Museum at Grytviken and pay their respects at Grytviken cemetery to this extraordinary man.
“It is truly humbling to witness such a momentous occasion in polar history, especially almost one hundred years to the day that Sir Ernest Shackleton was laid to rest on these shores. We enjoyed meeting the expedition team, and joining them in a toast to “The Boss”.’
Alison Neil, Chief Executive of SGHT, the UK charity which manages the Museum on behalf of GSGSSI said: ‘The South Georgia Museum is possibly one of the most remote museums in the world but tells a powerful and important story.
“As curators of the island’s fascinating heritage, we were delighted to be able to showcase the museum’s current Shackleton exhibition to the Endurance22 Expedition Team.
“There can surely be no more appropriate audience than this team of modern-day explorers who through their determination succeeded in finding Shackleton’s lost ship Endurance.
“One of the key locations for the Endurance story on South Georgia is the Manager’s Villa at Stromness, which Shackleton, Worsley and Crean reached after trekking for three days solid across South Georgia’s mountainous centre, having landed on the south side of the island hoping to find help. It was from here that they secured the assistance of the whalers and launched the rescue mission that saved the entire Endurance crew.
“We are in the very early stages of fundraising to undertake a survey of Stromness Whaling Station and the Manager’s Villa to explore how we can preserve the rich heritage of this small island, and further develop the Shackleton legacy.”
An online version of the Shackleton exhibition can be found at:
https://sgmuseum.gs/shackletonslastquest/
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