A ship designed for bear hunting
Launched on December 17, 1912 at Sandefjord in Norway, the Endurance, Shackleton's future ship, was initially named Polaris. This ship was originally built for commercial cruises in the polar region. The main difference with current polar cruises was the theme "Polar Bear Hunt" for which the Polaris was designed.
With a length of 44 m and a beam length of 7.60 m, it was a medium-sized schooner Marconi (3 masts) that was out of the ordinary.
A solidity to all tests...
Built for navigation in the polar ice pack, the Endurance was built as solidly as possible at that time. She was known as the most resistant ship in the world! Carpenter Ole Aanderud Larsen built it entirely of oak, choosing the trees for the critical parts of the structure according to their shapes in order to match them to the structural parts and optimize their strength!
A 1.30 m thick bow
The keel was assembled with 4 pieces with a total thickness of 2m. The frames were 45 to 75 cm thick. The bow, composed of 3 pieces, was a delicate piece and greatly contributed to the possibility of making it through the ice. For this reason, it had been cut from 3 pieces of oak for a total thickness of 1.30 m! The planks of the planks were carved from over 50 cm thick Greenheart oak, floated and steam-bent.
With a displacement of 350 barrels, he had a 350 HP steam engine, allowing him a speed of 10 Kts.
Whaling ships that saved their lives
The Endurance carried 3 whaleboats (Norwegian-style double stem canoes) 7 m long, one of which, the James Caird, rigged in makeshift ketch, will be used by Shackleton to reach South Georgia to seek help after an epic 800 NM journey.
Despite its very robust construction, the ice pack has broken the Endurance caught in the ice. Indeed, the Endurance was built to navigate in ice and not to winter there. Only the onset of a severe winter had stopped the vessel, preventing it from returning once its crew had landed. The Endurance sank, totally crushed by the force of the ice pack.
