Shackleton's sled-dogs are irrelevant to the thread (?), self-centered (??) or sour grapes (???)
Diane - are you sure you're looking at the right thread or post?
Quite sure. C.i. is simply sharing his wonderful trip with us.
At the time of Shackleton's journey, animal rights groups hardly existed and that shouldn't be something to bring up on a thread that is sharing beautiful memories. And no, I don't believe in ignoring those atrocities, but i do feel strongly in letting a thread like this remain one of friends sharing lovely moments.
Thank you CI - I had no idea what Diane was talking about until I looked up the link you just posted with the great pics. Obviously she confused the 2 threads.
God, you just make friends everywhere you go, don't you?
c.i.
Great pics and thread, thanks for sharing them.
When I think of Shackleton, one of the things that comes to mind is the advertisement he put in the personal columns of The Times to recruit for this expedition -
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success. Ernest Shackleton."
I found it amazing that over 5000 men applied.
paulaj, What was extraordinary was the ability of Shackleton to pick the right men for this voyage out of those 5000 men that applied.
cicerone imposter wrote:paulaj, What was extraordinary was the ability of Shackleton to pick the right men for this voyage out of those 5000 men that applied.
I guess you could call him a people person!
This is how Shackleton was described by his cousin, Jonathan Shackleton-
"Shackleton was the most charming, persistent beggar you have ever met. And he had a wonderful way of being able to get money for his expeditions. His outgoing, open approach to things disarmed people. I'm not saying disarmed them of their money, but people took an instant liking to him."
I'll be dropping tid-bits for a while on this thread. I found this expedition fascinating.
paulaj, Thanks for your posts on Shackleton. Look forward to reading many more.
Some of the crew members kept detailed logs which put us right on the ship with them.
ALEXANDER MACKLIN, the ships doctor wrote- "We had now cut ourselves adrift from civilization and were making our way off the map. We met several large 'bergs drifting majestically north, and in contrast to their absolute whiteness the sea had a dark black look."
As he wrote this he couldn't have dreamed what he was in for.
Shackleton watched with alarm. As they encountered stream ice he ordered the sails taken in and proceeded cautiously under steam. Checking the noon latitude he was shocked to find ice so far north and knew it meant delays.
Orde-Lees, a captain in the military, described their enemy:
"This, then, is the pack, a sight worth coming so far to see. And even as I write the book is constantly being jerked from under my pen as the ship takes the shock of charging each slab, and we go along, scrunch, scrunch through the pack.
TIM CARR (Curator, South Georgia Whaling Museum): "To go through those large blocks of ice in a wooden ship is a pretty horrendous experience. It feels as if the boat is being hammered by heavy objects, and the noise is severe. You think the boat is really being punished."
RANULPH FIENNES(Explorer and Author): "You need to know what sort of bang was an alarming one and what was just normal, because a lot of ships who behave wrongly in that sort of pack ice go down terribly quickly."
To battle the ice, the Endurance was sheathed in greenheart, one of the toughest woods available. Shackleton tried to avoid direct hits, scanning the horizon for patches of open water. He shouted orders to the captain, Frank Worsley, who in turn directed the man at the wheel.
In contrast to Shackleton's caution, Macklin (ships Dr.) noticed,
"Worsley specialized in ramming, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he often went out of his way to find a nice piece of floe at which he could drive at full speed and cut in two. He loved to feel the shock, the riding up, and the sensations as the ice gave and we drove through."
Great quotes, paulaj! Has anybody mentioned yet what year this expedition took place?
Merry Andrew wrote:Great quotes, paulaj! Has anybody mentioned yet what year this expedition took place?
Nova transcript-
"The year was 1915, and the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition had ground to a halt. Twenty-eight men fought unceasingly to save their ship from the onslaught of the ice. The outside world had no idea of their predicament as they drifted helplessly towards uncharted waters. With civilization over 1000 miles away, only static crackling could be heard through their radio headset. Confronted with the approach of the Antarctic winter and the coldest climate on earth, they were about to be pushed to the limits of human endurance.
Shackletons family motto, "By Endurance we conquer." How ironic.
And on that note, I highly recommend the book "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing to experience their adventure. I read it on the recommendation of a Admiral I met while on my Trans-Atlantic cruise last November.
paulaj, Keep em com'n.
He also knew how to raise big bucks.
Shakleton for Bookclub
I just happened upon this site!
I was excited to see this thread being so recent! Our bookclub just finished reading the Shakleton book by Alfred Lansing (my choice) and I was surfing around to try to find some discussion questions.... this thread was great and the pictures provided by the man who just returned from his Antarctic trip were fabulous! Thanks! (can't recall his name... cicone imposter?
If anyone has any questions for discussion I'd love any input. We are actually living in Saudi Arabia so I plan to turn the AC way down and serve hot soup (without seal meat!hehe) and biscuits ... any other suggestions?!
Hi big-scrapper, WELCOME TO A2K. Was glad to see you bring this forum back to life. Shackleton and all his men were extraordinary in their technical skills, gumption, survival skills and creativity. It speaks well on Shackleton's ability to pick the right men for this adventure. Luck was certainly with this party, but it was their skill that allowed them to survive. Look forward to your contributions on a2k. c.i.
If anybody is interested, PBS will be showinng "Shackleton" next Tuesday at 8PM. It should provide for a lively discussion after "we" all watch it!
I missed that one!
