Who was Ernest Shackleton?

This is Ernest Shackleton.

• He was an explorer and sailor.
• He was born in Ireland in 1874 and he joined the Merchant Navy at 16.
• He wanted to see places people had never been to before.
• He went on several trips to explore the South Pole.
• His most famous journey was on a ship called Endurance in 1914.

The life of Ernest Shackleton

• In 1902 he joined Captain Scott. Together they got closer to the South Pole than anyone had been before.
• In 1909 he tried again. This time he got 111 miles from the South Pole.
• He was knighted (made a Sir) for his achievement.
• Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911.
• Even though he could no longer be the first to reach the South Pole, Shackleton still wanted to travel there. So in 1914 he led a journey to cross Antarctica on a ship called ‘Endurance.’
• However, 'Endurance' became trapped in the ice and Shackleton’s team had to leave the ship.

• In April 1916 they reached Elephant Island in the South Pole on three boats.
• Elephant Island was unsafe because it was covered in ice and rocks. It was also very cold and dark.
• They needed to reach a safe place and find help. Shackleton and some of his team took the boat James Caird, crossing 800 miles in 16 days to reach South Georgia.
• They then rescued every member of the crew of the Endurance. Not a single life was lost.

Did you know?

• Ernest Shackleton took a photographer with him on the journey to show people what he saw.
• He also wrote a book called 'South' about the Endurance mission.

Activity – Ernest Shackleton quiz