The Endurance: Shackletons Legendary Antarctic Expedition

15 Sept-15 Oct 2005. A enthralling exhibition on loan from the American Museum of Natural History tells the story of one of the greatest survival stories in European expedition history, namely Sir Ernest Shackletons dramatic, death-defying expedition to Antarctica in 1914. Sailing on the Endurance, Shackleton and his crew became trapped in pack ice in Weddell Sea. The ship was eventually smashed to smithereens by the ice, stranding the entire expedition on remote uninhabited Elephant Island for 18 months. Shackleton choose Kerry-born Antarctic explorer Tom Crean, who had been on Scotts fatal expedition to the South Pole, to sail with him to the distant whaling stations of South Georgia to raise the alarm. Their open-boat journey and 36 hour march over unchartered territory to Stromness Whaling Station is considered a miracle of navigation and seamanship as well as one of the most daring rescues ever accomplished. The exhibition features photos by Frank Hurley who sailed with Shackleton and offers an unparalleled view of the explorer, his crew and their desolate surroundings. Wed-Sat 10.00-17.00 (Tue 10.00-20.00, Sun 14.00-17.00)