Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

Armstrong, Jennifer. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. 2011. 227 mins. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

The age of exploration seemingly came to an end when the South Pole was reached in December 1911. Sir Ernest Shackleton had dreamt of being the first one there, but with Roald Amundsen’s team getting there, followed soon after by the Scott expedition, there seemed nothing left to do. Shackleton and his backers decided then to be the first ones to cross Antarctica on food and with dog sleds. With England at war with Germany, the expedition almost did not happen, but the prestige of the country demanded it. Aboard Endurance, a ship specially designed to sail the ice-covered waters of the southernmost continent, 28 sailors, researchers, and scientists embarked on what became a story of survival and triumph over nature.

Despite being summer in Antarctica, ice prevented Endurance from reaching the continent, and before long the ship became encased in ice. With nothing to do, the crew endured and panned on patiently waiting until the following summer. When the ice began pushing against the ship, however, it became clear it would not survive the winter. With only three small boats, the crew had to make a hard decision. Should they attempt reaching the continent, or should they sail back to the closest land, Elephant Island, some 600 miles across the most treacherous and dangerous seas? Shackleton and his crew abandoned the expedition and managed to arrive on Elephant Island. Shackleton himself and five crew members then boarded the sturdiest of their three small craft and sailed 800 miles across open seas to South Georgia, to reach a human settlement and organize a rescue of the people left on Elephant Island.

An amazing and true story of survival and heroics, Shackleton’s expedition did not complete its goal of crossing the Antarctic, but they demonstrated that humans can survive the worst that Earth can offer if they work together. Filled with pictures taken during the expedition, this book will be appreciated by fans of harrowing true stories.