Sir Ernest Shackleton, Endurance Voyage
Timeline and Map

1 - departure | 2 - trapped and crushed | 3 - journey to South Georgia | 4 - rescue
this page, time-line and map | crew of the Endurance

Map, route of the Endurance, Ernest Shackleton

Event and key to map	Time since leaving England	Date
Sail from England	Departure	August 8th 1914
1 Depart Grytviken whaling station, South Georgia	3 months, 27days	December 5th 1914
2 Entered pack ice	3 months, 29 days	December 7th 1914
3 Endurance trapped	5 months, 10 days	January 18th 1915
4 Endurance crushed, ship abandoned	14 months, 19 days	October 27th 1915
5 Endurance sinks	15 months, 13 days	November 21st 1915
6 Launch boats for Elephant Island	20 months, 1 day	April 9th 1916 - arrive Elephant Island April 15th
7 Boat journey to South Georgia	2 week journey - 21 months 2 days on arrival at S.G.	April 24th - May 10th 1916
8 Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean reach Stromness whaling station	21 months, 12 days	May 20th 1916
9 Three crew members rescued from a beach on South Georgia	21 months, 13 days	May 21st 1916
10 Remainder of the crew rescued from Elephant Island	24 months, 22 days	August 30th 1916

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Sir Ernest Shackleton, Endurance Expedition Time Line

August 1st 1914 - The Endurance sets sail from London.

November 5th 1914 - Arrival at Grytviken whaling station, South Georgia.

December 5th 1914 - Set sail for Antarctica, last contact with the outside world for 18 months, last contact with land for 497 days.

December 7th 1914 - First encounter with pack-ice.

January 18th 1915 - Endurance becomes beset, frozen into heavy pack ice a day's sail from the intended landfall.

February 22nd 1915 - Furthest south position reached at 77°S 35°W, the ice now starts to drift north carrying the Endurance with it.

August 1st 1915 - Ice surrounding the ship starts to break and push over itself, dogs brought on board.

September 1st 1915 - Ice pressure begins to act upon the ship.

October 27th 1915 - The Endurance is badly damaged and leaking due to the pressure of ice acting upon her, Shackleton orders her to be abandoned, stores and equipment are taken onto the sea-ice and a camp established.

November 1st 1915 - After an attempt to march with boats and sleds, "Ocean Camp" is established a mile and a half from the Endurance.

November 21st 1915 - The broken and splintered Endurance sinks below the ice into the Weddell Sea.

December 22nd 1915 - Kept as Christmas Day, all remaining luxuries were eaten, the last really good meal for 8 months.

December 23rd 1915 - Ocean Camp is abandoned to try to move westwards to Paulet Island and a substantial food depot. Crew and dogs drag sleds and three lifeboats across the sea-ice.

December 29th 1915 - Very broken-up un-passable ice is met, a new camp is established "Patience Camp" , they were to live on the floe for nearly three and a half months.

April 9th 1916 - Ice floes breaking up and open water meant It was time to take to the boats and head towards the South Shetland Islands.

April 15th 1916 - Landfall at Elephant Island, the first time in 497 days.

April 24th 1916 - Shackleton and 5 others set off in the James Caird for South Georgia.

May 10th 1916 - James Caird arrives at King Haakon Bay, South Georgia.

May 19th 1916 - Shackleton, Crean and Worsley set out to cross South Georgia to reach the Stromness whaling station.

May 20th 1916 - Arrival at Stromness whaling station.

May 23rd 1916 - 1st rescue attempt, Shackleton sets out on the Southern Sky, a whaling boat to reach Elephant Island, is turned back by sea-ice and heads north arrives at the Falkland Islands on the 31st of May.

June 10th 1916 - 2nd rescue attempt on a trawler, Instituto de Pesca No. 1 loaned and provisioned by the Uruguayan government, again turned back by ice.

July 12th 1916 - 3rd rescue attempt by the schooner Emma, chartered and provisioned by donations raised at Punta Arenas, Chile also turned back by ice.

August 25th 1916 - 4th rescue attempt by the steam tug Yelcho loaned by the Chilean government successfully retrieves all of those on Elephant Island on August the 30th.

September 3rd 1916 - Yelcho reaches Punta Arenas with all 28 men of the Endurance expedition.

Shackleton's four attempts to rescue the crew of the Endurance from Elephant Island. The first from South Georgia, the second from the Falkland Islands and the third and then successful fourth attempts from Punta Arenas in Chile.