Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition of 1914 is an imperishable legend that has inspired many to visit these remote waters.

Shackleton’s quest to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent via the South Pole was halted when his vessel was crushed by the Weddell Sea pack ice. He and his crew set up a camp on the ice as currents carried them gradually northward. When the ice began to break up, the men were forced to take their lifeboats.

They finally reached solid ground on Elephant Island - an inhospitable place of rock and ice adjacent to the Drake Passage. It soon became all too clear that no rescue would find them there. Shackleton, guided by Frank Worsley’s incredible navigation skills, took the strongest 22-foot lifeboat, the James Caird, and sailed for South Georgia Island across 750 miles of open water. After 16 days and a battle of strength and will against the frigid, unpredictable Antarctic Ocean, the men arrived in King Haakon Bay, South Georgia. This journey is generally regarded as the greatest open boat navigation in history.

Much to the disappointment of the exhausted men, they had landed on the uninhabited side of the mountainous island. Shackleton, Worsley and Tom Crean, threadbare and weak, began a 24-mile crossing of the uncharted pinnacles and glaciers of interior South Georgia. Upon reaching Stromness whaling station, after a nightmare 36 hours of non-stop, blind travel they referred to their success as an, "act of providence".

Shackleton went on to rescue every one of his crew both in King Haakon and Elephant Island. They had endured the Antarctic elements in primeval conditions for more than 18 months.

1914
Aug. 1	After stopping for supplies, the Endurance departs Buenos Aires.
Oct. 26	Endurance, the expedition ship, departs London.
Nov. 5	Endurance arrives at the whaling station of Grytviken, South Georgia Island, the last outpost of civilization encountered en route to Antarctica.
Dec. 5	Endurance departs Grytviken whaling station.
Dec. 7	Endurance first encounters pack ice.
1915
Jan. 18	Endurance becomes beset in pack ice and, immobilized, begins drifting in the ice.
Feb. 21	Endurance drifts to its furthest point south, 76 58´ S.
Oct. 27	Shackleton gives orders to abandon the ship, which is severely damaged by the ice.
Oct. 28	Shackleton orders each of the 27 men to dump all but two pounds of personal possessions. Exceptions are made for photographer Frank Hurley’s 35mm motion-picture footage and photographs and meteorologist Leonard Hussey’s banjo.
Nov. 1	Shackleton establishes camp on an ice floe, dubbed "Ocean Camp."
Nov. 8	Hurley dives into the flooded ship to recover the precious glass plates for his photographs. With Shackleton, he chooses 120 to keep. They then smash the remaining 400 or so, so Hurley isn’t tempted to risk his life to return for them later.
Nov. 21	Endurance sinks at 68 38.5’ South, 52 28´ West.
Dec. 29	After a failed attempt to march across the ice to the safety of land, Shackleton establishes"Patience Camp", hoping that they will drift north on an ice floe to safety.
1916
April 9	Shackleton orders the lifeboats - the Dudley Docker, the Stancomb Wills and the James Caird - to be launched. The boats are named for the expedition’s main patrons.
April 16	The three boats land on Elephant Island. It is a remote, uninhabited island far from shipping lanes. This is the first time that the men have stood on solid ground in 497 days.
April 24	Shackleton decides to sail the James Caird to South Georgia where a whaling station is located to get help. He brings Captain Frank Worsley, Second Officer Tom Crean, carpenter Chippy McNeish, and seamen Tim McCarthy and John Vincent.
May 10	The James Caird arrives on the uninhabited south coast of South Georgia Island.
May 23	Shackleton and his men arrive at Stromness whaling station. Worsley sails to the south coast to pick up the three men left behind.
May 23	Shackleton borrows a ship, Southern Sky, and sails for Elephant Island to rescue his men. The pack ice prevents passage, and the ship returns. Two subsequent rescue attempts, aboard the Instituto Pesca No. 1 in June and the Emma in July, are also stopped by pack ice.
Aug. 25	Shackleton departs on the Yelcho.
Aug. 30	Shackleton rescues the 22 men on Elephant Island.

Shackleton’s team leadership, goal-setting and commitment are presently being heralded as one of the great motivational examples in modern history. Corporate America has readily embraced this along with the IMAX film, Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure as a vehicle for enhancing management team performance and inspiring team-driven goal-oriented approaches to daunting business projects.

Bill Belicheck, the head coach of the football team New England Patriots, showed the film to the team during their 2001/2002 season training camp. He explained, "It certainly wasn't football, but many of the same principles of endurance, courage, and teamwork apply to what we're trying to accomplish during the most physically demanding time of the football season: training camp." He further commented, "Sometimes you have to put things in a context other than football." The Patriots went on to win the superbowl that year. Quarterback Tom Brady remarked that Shackleton's experience, "told you that there are always going to be obstacles in the way. You have to keep your faith, keep believing in each other, keep working together, even if you think you're never going to make it."

Dave German, Fathom Expeditions’ president, led the IMAX film teams and is one of the world’s foremost hands-on Shackleton experts.

For more information on Shackleton and his Endurance Expedition: