Author Archives: Ernest Shackleton

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About Ernest Shackleton

Polar Explorer. Leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917.

Dead Reckoning

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“…both [islands] exactly on the bearings I had said they would be; and Sir Ernest congratulates me on the accuracy of my navigation under circumstances of some difficulty and after 2 days of Dead Reckoning, while working in and out … Continue reading →

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A glimpse of land

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“Welcome dawn and with it something even more welcome, a glimpse of land! Clarence and Elephant Islands immediately ahead some 30 miles. What a contrast to the terrors of the night. Calm and peaceful the sun rose from out the … Continue reading →

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An unforgettable day

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“It was for me, and I expect for all of us, an unforgettable day – the wind torn cloudy sky, great banks of cumulus with shafts of sunlight breaking through, the vast ocean with curling white horses… the Caird leaping … Continue reading →

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Rime of the Ancient Mariner, pt 4

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge […] Four ‘I fear thee, ancient Mariner! I fear thy skinny hand! And thou art long, and lank, and brown, As is the ribbed sea-sand. I fear thee and thy glittering … Continue reading →

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Condemned to watch impotently

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“But some smiles were caused even then by the plight of one man, who had a habit of accumulating bits of food against the day of starvation that he seemed always to think was at hand, and who was condemned … Continue reading →

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Things not dreamed of in the killers’ philosophy

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“All around we could hear the killers blowing, their short, sharp hisses sounding like sudden escapes of steam. The killers were a source of anxiety, for a boat could easily have been capsized by one of them coming up to … Continue reading →

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13 April 1916

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“I am mildly superstitious of numbers, for this day had well nigh made an end to us all. During the morning the three boats were running under sail with a fair SE wind which developed into a half gale by … Continue reading →

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Man can sustain life with very scanty means

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“Other articles of our scanty equipment had to go that night. We were carrying only the things that had seemed essential, but we stripped now to the barest limits of safety. “Many things regarded by us as essentials at that … Continue reading →

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Destination changed

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“Beautiful sunshiny morning. The pack radiant with the pink flush of sunrise, and resembling the ruins of empyrean marble cities. With fair NW wind, the James Caird, Dudley Docker and Stancombe Wills made SW course, our object being King George … Continue reading →

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An unexpected horror

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Ernest Shackleton

“An unexpected horror was added to our already sufficient discomforts by the presence of a large school of killer whales which surrounded us on every side like fat bulls of Basan. Their blood-curdling blast, now coming from the distant darkness, … Continue reading →

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