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Comment by hcrisp | Hacker News Reader

I just finished reading "Endurance", Alfred Lansing's classic account of Shackleton's doomed quest. Harrowing is exactly the word to describe it. And even more harrowing than the trip to Elephant Island was the 800-mile voyage Shackleton took with five other crewmen from Elephant Island back to civilization in South Georgia. To navigate it he had to cross the dreaded Drake Passage (the latitudes between Antarctica and South America where winds swirl unimpeded by large landmasses) in an open lifeboat relying only on a compass and occasional stars in life threatening weather. Upon arriving in South Georgia they ditched on the uninhabited South shore and had to cross mountains by foot to reach the whaling station. All survived.

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And then, Shackleton not only organized the rescue party for the three crewmen he had left behind on the other side of the island, but also organized and led all four attempts to rescue the crew left on Elephant Island.

And no, he didn’t take time to recover from the journey to South Georgia before doing that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Exped...: “He first left South Georgia a mere three days after he had arrived in Stromness”

3 days to organize a ship, a crew and supplies.

And of course, once back in England, he and most of his crew volunteered to serve in World War One. He was denied that, but several of his crew died in that war. They already had offered to do that when, IIRC in Buenos Aires they heard war had broken out, but had been told by the king to continue the expedition.

> once back in England, he and most of his crew volunteered to serve in World War One.

A very sobering account is, after being cut off from the rest of the world, arriving at the South Georgia whaling station he asked "Tell me, when was the war over".

The date was May 1916.

"The war is not over" he answered "Millions are being killed. Europe is mad. The World is mad".....The reader may not realise quite how difficult it was for us to envisage nearly two years of the most stupendous war of history.... poison gas and liquid fire, the submarine warfare, the Gallipoli campaign.

Above text is from Shackleton's 'South', his own account of the journey.

If I recall correctly, he offered his boat in the service of the crown for the war while sailing for the Southern Hemisphere but recieved a one word telegram in reply: "Proceed".

yup, from churchill no less. who, in his defense, was probably occupied in the about-to-happen world war...

As a young officer candidate in the US Navy, I took a navigation class co-taught by a very weathered quartermaster (QMCS) whose love was celestial navigation. We spent several days on the subject, and ended with a case study of Shackleton's journey to South Georgia. There's nothing like a fascinating subject taught by an experienced and enthusiastic expert.

That was many moons ago.

The drake passage open boat voyage is considered a great achievement to this date. I recommend reading it.

Shackleton died some 7 years later in a subsequent expedition.

> Shackleton died some 7 years later in a subsequent expedition.

Yup.

And is buried on South Georgia, in a grave facing south, rather than the traditional christian east.

Excellent book - came here to recommend it as well.

Ditto. One of my favorite books ever. Shackleton was a master at maintaining a positive mental attitude.

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