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Ernest Shackleton
Factfile |
 Ernest Shackleton and HMS Endurance |
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The Preparation
Although Shackleton is remembered today for his amazing courage, right from the beginning he had to fight to get the expedition off the ground. Sorting out finances for the trip proved to be a difficult challenge, as he had very little backing from official sources. By June of 1914, Shackleton had raised only half of the £70,000 needed for the expedition and with the threat of world war looming, his chances of leaving for the South Pole during the Antarctic summer looked unlikely. However, after receiving a last-minute donation from Sir James Caird, a Scottish millionaire of £24,000, Shackleton selected possible crew members from nearly 5,000 applications that had been divided into piles labeled, `Mad’, `Hopeless’ and `Possible’. His final selection was based on the qualities Shackleton thought were important. " First, optimism: second, patience; third, physical endurance; fourth, idealism; fifth and last, courage," he said.
Aware of his duty to his country, Shackleton had offered his expedition to the war effort, but on August 1st, 1914 the Admiralty, in a one-word telegram told Shackleton to `Proceed’. Eventually, on August 8th Endurance sailed for Buenos Aires. Fully equipped, Endurance cost £14,000. Some 350 tons, she was a built of pine, oak and greenheart woods, with a top speed of 9 to 10 knots.
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