Other editions of book South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917

His destination Antarctica, his expectations high, veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out, on the eve of the First World War, in pursuit of his goal to lead the first expedition across the last unknown continent. Instead, his ship, the Endurance, became locked in sea ice, and for nine months Shackleton fought a losing battle with the elements before the drifting ship was crushed and his crew marooned. Shackleton's gripping account of his incredible voyage follows him and his men across 600 miles of unstable ice floes to a barren rock called Elephant Island. It records how, with a crew of four, he crossed 850 miles of the worst seas in a 22-foot-long open boat and how, after landing on South Georgia Island, they then had to traverse over 20 miles of mountainous terrain to reach the nearest outpost of civilization. Shackleton recounts, too, the efforts of his support party aboard the Aurora, who in temperatures of -50 degrees and winds of 80 m.p.h. still managed to drop off supplies on the opposite side of the continent, little suspecting the fate of the Endurance and the ordeal of its crew. An astonishing story that explores the limits of unparalleled human courage, Shackleton's South ranks among history's greatest adventures.

In 1914, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sets out to become the first to traverse the continent of Antarctica. Their initial optimism is short-lived, however, as the ice field slowly thickens, encasing the ship Endurance in a death-grip, crushing their craft, and marooning 28 men on a polar ice floe...In an epic struggle of man versus the elements, Shackleton leads his team on a harrowing quest for survival over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Icy, tempestuous seas full of gargantuan waves, mountainous glaciers and icebergs, unending brutal cold, and ever-looming starvation are their mortal foes as Shackleton and his men struggle to stay alive.What happened to those brave men forever stands as a testament to their strength of will and the power of human endurance.This is their story, as told by the man who led them.

As war clouds darkened over Europe in 1914, a party led by Shackleton set out to make the first crossing of the entire Antarctic continent via the Pole. But their initial optimism was short-lived as ice floes closed around their ship, gradually crushing it and marooning 28 men on the polar ice. Alone in the world's most unforgiving environment, Shackleton and his team began a brutal quest for survival. And as the story of their journey across treacherous seas and a wilderness of glaciers and snow fields unfolds, the scale of their courage and heroism becomes movingly clear.

In August of 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set out with a crew of twenty-eight aboard the ship 'Endurance' in an effort to become the first men to cross the vast Antarctic land mass. Their adventurous tale of exploration soon became a struggle for survival when the ship was enclosed by a sea of ice which slowly crushed it leaving them stranded in a barren icy wilderness. What would follow is one of the most gripping tales of heroism and survival in the face of almost certain death to have ever been told. Drawing upon the first-hand accounts of the men who lived to tell the tale, "South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition (1914-1917)" is a fascinating saga of polar exploration.

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic, and one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.In 1914, as the shadow of war falls across Europe, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sets out to become the first to traverse the Antarctic continent. Their initial optimism is short-lived, however, as the ice field slowly thickens, encasing the ship Endurance in a death-grip, crushing their craft, and marooning 28 men on a polar ice floe.In an epic struggle of man versus the elements, Shackleton leads his team on a harrowing quest for survival over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Icy, tempestuous seas full of gargantuan waves, mountainous glaciers and icebergs, unending brutal cold, and ever-looming starvation are their mortal foes as Shackleton and his men struggle to stay alive.What happened to those brave men forever stands as a testament to their strength of will and the power of human endurance.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

South! The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 by Ernest ShackletonThe expedition was given the grand title of The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Due to be launched in 1914, two ships were to be employed. The first, the lead vessel, fittingly named the Endurance was to transport the team to the Weddell Sea from where the great explorer Ernest Shackleton and five others would cross the icy wastes of Antarctica on foot. The second ship, the Aurora was to approach the continent from the other side and put down supplies at various points to help the explorers. The nearly 3000 km expedition was funded largely on the strength of Shackleton's formidable reputation. Many private individuals contributed along with some funds from the British government. However, the shadow of war was looming across Europe.The expedition also included more than 70 dogs who were kept in the charge of an experienced veterinary doctor. However, the Endurance soon ran into problems. Within a month of its departure, it hit an ice floe and was completely trapped in frozen ice. It began to drift northwards, dashing Shackleton's hopes of an early culmination. South! The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 by Ernest Shackleton is a brilliant portrayal of this doomed enterprise told by the leader himself.What makes the book so interesting is Shackleton's own matter of fact courage and his extreme sense of responsibility for his crew. The book which was published long after the actual events took place, was released just a year before Shackleton's death. His physical and mental health were completely broken and the outbreak of war had also taken its toll. Though he suffered from serious ill-health, he insisted on being conscripted and also undertook several diplomatic missions on behalf of the British Government. He was an extremely charismatic figure, worshipped by his crew members and deeply admired by statesmen like Winston Churchill. He died of a heart attack in the South Georgia Islands near South America and he was buried there on the request of his wife. This was indeed a fitting end to his life, “on a island far from civilization, surrounded by stormy tempestuous seas and in the vicinity of one of his great exploits,” as his physician noted in his personal diary.South... is mainly compiled from the logs of the Endurance and the Aurora, with plenty of observations and descriptions by Shackleton himself. The harsh and terrible beauty of the snowy continent are wonderfully and passionately described.For readers who love the drama of an expedition to the least known ends of the earth, led by a figure of such heroic proportions, this is indeed a great read.This ebook include the original and unabridged content. Enjoy it!

In 1911 Roald Amundsen beat Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole, and Scott and his colleagues all died on the return journey. Ernest Shackleton, who had served with Scott on a previous expedition, decided that crossing Antarctica from sea to sea was the last great unattempted journey on the continent. His Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–17 was a failure. But perhaps because it failed, with Shackleton not only surviving but bringing his crew back alive, the expedition became more famous than many of those adventurous voyages that succeeded.After reaching the Weddell Sea off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, Shackleton's ship the Endurance became trapped in pack ice and spent 1915 drifting northwards. The Endurance was eventually crushed by the ice and sank, leaving 28 men stranded on the ice. They spent months sheltering from the subzero temperatures as the pack ice continued to drift. Eventually Shackleton accepted they could not rely on rescue and had to help themselves, so he led five men on an 800-mile voyage in an open boat to reach South Georgia, from where he was able to mount a rescue of all of the men he had left behind on the ice. Every one of them survived-a remarkable tribute to his leadership, courage and determination.South is Shackleton's own account of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It is a true story of courageous endurance, survival against the odds and an undeterred sense of adventure. This special edition includes detailed maps so that the reader can see just how extraordinary Shackleton's achievement was.

As war clouds darkened over Europe in 1914, a party led by Sir Ernest Shackleton set out to make the first crossing of the entire Antarctic continent via the Pole. But their initial optimism was short-lived as ice floes closed around their ship, gradually crushing it and marooning twenty-eight men on the polar ice. Alone in the world's most unforgiving environment, Shackleton and his team began a brutal quest for survival. And as the story of their journey across treacherous seas and a wilderness of glaciers and snow fields unfolds, the scale of their courage and heroism becomes movingly clear.