Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry

Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry (1874-1922), explorer, b. Kilkee, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Ernest Shackleton was educated at Dulwich College in London and became an apprentice in the Merchant Navy.

He went on Captain Scott's expedition to the Antarctic in 1901-03 and with Scott and Dr. Edward Wilson, reached 82 degrees 17 minutes South, 404 miles (650 km) from the South Pole.

This was the most southerly point reached by anyone up to this time.

On the way back, Shackleton almost died of scurvy, but in 1909 he was again in the Antarctic. This time he was the leader of an expedition and he reached 88 degrees 23 minutes South, only 111 miles (180 km) from the South Pole.

Back in England, he was hailed as a national hero and King Edward VII knighted him.

In 1915, he sailed to the Antarctic once more, planning to cross the continent. But his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the ice.

By sledge and open boat, he and his men escaped to Elephant Island, a tiny speck of land 120 miles (193 km) north of Antarctica. From there, Shackleton and five companions sailed 800 miles (1,287 km) in a boat twenty one feet (six and a half meters) long, to bring help from South Georgia.

This was one of the most remarkable voyages ever made in a small boat, and the boat, the James Caird, is preserved today at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England.

In 1922, Shackleton set out for the Antarctic again but he died of a heart attack on South Georgia.

See Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage ~ Alfred Lansing