Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 10 Jul 2024
EXTRA PROTECTION HAS been given to Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated ship Endurance, which lies at the bottom of the Weddell Sea within Antarctica, 3,000 metres below sea level.
The ship, which was crushed by ice and sank in November 1915, will now be afforded protection in the form of an extension of the designated area protected, from 500 metres to 1,500 metres, to ensure the full debris field is protected.
It is in one of the most remote parts of the world, making it one of the world’s most inaccessible historic sites, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) said.
“The ship is currently protected as an Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty,” UKAHT said.
It said that the sub-zero temperatures and absence of certain kinds of marine biological organisms due to the extreme cold mean that the site has preserved in good condition.
“Access to the wreck must be preserved to protect the integrity of the site,” it said. “Therefore, all future research will be geared around enhancing the significance of Endurance.”
The ship was discovered in 2022, by an expedition entitled Endurance22.
Shackleton led the 28-man team of explorers to safety on Elephant Island. He and five others set off from Elephant Island on a lifeboat named the James Caird. Their ordeal came to an end on May 10 when they arrived at South Georgia’s King Haakon Bay.
It took almost four months and two failed attempts before Shackleton was able to mount a successful rescue operation, eventually reaching his stranded crewmen on Elephant Island aboard Chilean steam tug the Yelcho.
All 28 men survived.
The UK is responsible for the shipwreck and the long-term management of the site.
A Conservation Management Plan (CMP) devised by the UKAHT was submitted to the Antarctic Treat Consultative Meeting, which was held in May.
The aim is to manage, conserve and protect the shipwreck by implementing the plan and ultimately seeking an Antarctic Specially Protected Area designation, it said.
UKAHT outlined several potential threats that it believes could impact Endurance.
It outlined a lack of published data, and subsea technology use beneath extensive ice cover having limited testing, and therefore could cause accidental damage or risk of collision.
Climate change was outlined as an area which could have consequences on the “long-term survival” of the wreck.
“Increased water temperature and ocean acidification could result in accelerated biological and chemical decay of the shipwreck,” it said.
Potential for fishing gear to become entangled in the wreck was highlighted, as well as tourism, given that any attempt to visit the wreck could cause damage.
A danger that people or organisations will attempt to recover artefacts from the wreck without authorisation was also identified.
UKAHT has six key conservation management principles outlined for the care and maintenance of the shipwreck Endurance.
All activity relating to the site should be taken with the aim to preserve or enhance the significant of the site. There will be a presumption in favour of non-destructive survey is preference to any recovery of the wreck structure or artefacts.
The biodiversity, habitats, and ecology of the wreck will be studied, recorded, and conserved.
Long term challenges to the significance of the wreck will be identified, and mitigation methods explored with stakeholders ad partner organisations.
Access to the wreck site will be managed to ensure that activities are not detrimental to the significance of the site.
The significance of the site will be enhanced by maximising opportunities for knowledge enhancement and its public dissemination.
The ongoing management of the wreck will be transparent and collaborative and based on clear policies outlined in the CMP.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Hope it will bring closure to some distraught family.Rip whoever you are.
My thoughts exactly,as awful as it is, it is relief or finality for someone out there (in a way). Maybe find lots more if they had the manpower to search and could finally let many families minds rest over the whereabouts of their loved ones
If the truth was known I am sure a majority of missing bodies could be found in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains.
It is such a vast and inhospitable area.
I guess if turf-cutting was to become more common place …who knows what they might find.
That area really isn’t tallaght. Bodies have been dumped up there since before the British built that road
Bodies have been dumped everywhere since ……… Umm Adam & Eve !!
Military Road is not Tallaght.
who gives a fu@k where it is! 5 comments on this tread and 3 were about the fuckin geography!! get a grip, someones son, daughter, mother or father was found, and sad as it may be i hope some family find comfort in the fact that their loved one can finally be brought home and given a place to rest in peace.
Well said Ger. Thinking the same myself scrolling down.
Here here ger. Who friggin cares the exact location. Human remains found, family members whereabouts found!!!!
R.I.P who ever you are and hopefully your family will be able to lay you to rest now
Rest In Peace .
Sad, but the headline brings a slight smile. Like Wood Quay! Human remains in Tallaght? I should hope so.
have your say