Wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship discovered 100 years to the day

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was discovered 100 years to the day and maybe even to the hour and minute he was buried, archaeologist claims

•  The famed explorer’s long-lost vessel, sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship was discovered a hundred years to the day – and possibly to the hour and minute – that he was buried, an archaeologist claimed.

Endurance, the famed explorer’s long-lost vessel, sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915 – leaving its crew on nearby Elephant Island for four months while Shackleton sailed to South Georgia for help.

And last year a ten-year project finally came to fruition, when British marine archaeologist Mensun Bound and an expedition team finally found the sunken ship in a remarkable condition, despite spending 107 years some 3,000m below the water’s surface.

Photographs released of the wreckage showed her name was still emblazoned on the stone and the wooden wheel once steered by the helmsman remained in tack.

The find – made on March 5, 2022 – was exactly a hundred years to the day Shackleton was buried in Grytviken Cemetery, Grytviken.

Endurance, the famed explorer’s long-lost vessel, sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915 – leaving its crew on nearby Elephant Island for four months while Shackleton sailed to South Georgia for help

But days later, Mr Bound found out the timing may have been even closer to the moment Sir Ernest was buried.

Speaking at the Chalke Valley History Festival, he told of how a friend and fellow Shackleton enthusiast, Stephen Scott-Fawcett, had found an account of one of his pallbearers which confirmed the funeral had been held at 3pm.

A lengthy procession and a probable five or ten minute delay to the start of the service meant it was likely the explorer may not have been laid to rest until shortly after 4pm.

Mr Bound added: ‘Now Steve had no idea of what time we found the Endurance, he said to me they would have buried Shackleton at five past four, ten past four at the very latest – and he didn’t know it but we actually found the wreck at five minutes past four.’

The anecdote prompted an audible gasp from the audience – however sceptics may say the difference in time zones would mean the actual time was different.

Protocols between crew members meant the ship was put into an immediate lockdown to stop news of the discovery leaking before the authorities were informed.

Members Of Ernest Shackleton’S Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Photographed While Marooned On Elephant Island, April-August 1916

However, Mr Bound, 70, had already agreed a code word with his wife to inform her of the news – ‘bingo’ – with exclamation marks if the vessel was well preserved.

Mr Bound said: ‘So I sent the one word, it was ‘Bingo!’ – I sent it off to her with lots of exclamation marks and underlines.’

The archaeologist also described the emotional moment the team realised they had found the ship.

Mr Bound said: ‘You can imagine all the backslapping moments and the whooping.

‘And yeah there were a few unmanly moments and there were a few tears – not me.’

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