The Endurance
The Endurance began its life with the intent of bringing tourists to the Antarctic. Norwegian ship owner Lars Christensen and Belgian expeditionary Adrien de Gerlache built the ship to bring passengers to the Antarctic region. They commissioned a ship, called Polaris, in 1912. Polaris was one of the strongest wood hull ships for traversing the ice. It was a combination sail and steam ship, with three masts, a steam engine, one screw, and one funnel. When de Gerlache couldn’t pay his share, they sold the ship to Shackleton. Shackleton renamed the ship to honor his family motto, “By endurance we conquer.” The newly-named Endurance reached speeds of 10.2 knots. Among its amenities keeping its 23-man crew occupied, there were games and musical instruments on board. It had a darkroom to develop photographs. The photographs from this darkroom are some of the most haunting photographs from the era of Antarctic exploration.