What the Ice Gets, the Ice Keeps

Overheard at National Geographic

In 1915 Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sank off the coast of Antarctica, stranding the crew on drifting sea ice. Shackleton’s desperate rescue mission saved all 28 men. But for more than a century afterward, the location of Endurance eluded archaeologists—until this year. National Geographic photographer Esther Horvath was there, and recounts the moment when the ship was located 10,000 feet beneath the polar ice.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more?

Read the inside story of the discovery of Endurance, including reactions from the lead researchers and Horvath’s photos from the farthest reaches of the Southern Ocean.

See rare photos from another fabled Antarctic voyage: Robert Falcon Scott’s race to the South Pole in 1912.

Also explore:

Technology has made it easier to find sunken ships and their undiscovered treasures. See how preservationists protect them—and why “finders keepers” doesn’t apply.

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