"Mysteries at the Museum" Race to the Antarctic: Special

1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 2 00:00:14,449 --> 00:00:17,083 [ Helicopter blades whirring ] 3 00:00:17,218 --> 00:00:19,285 I'm going back in time to an era 4 00:00:19,287 --> 00:00:22,154 when world exploration was fueled by competition 5 00:00:22,190 --> 00:00:24,490 and the thirst for glory, 6 00:00:24,492 --> 00:00:27,693 when dying could stand in the way of success 7 00:00:27,695 --> 00:00:30,229 and perseverance is king. 8 00:00:30,231 --> 00:00:32,498 My mission? To understand 9 00:00:32,567 --> 00:00:34,833 a man who is hailed as one of the greatest 10 00:00:34,869 --> 00:00:36,969 polar explorers in history. 11 00:00:37,104 --> 00:00:39,504 His name is Sir Ernest Shackleton. 12 00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:42,374 Shackleton wanted to be the first person 13 00:00:42,443 --> 00:00:46,245 to travel across the entire ice-bound continent of Antarctica. 14 00:00:46,314 --> 00:00:49,214 Very steep gradient--wow. 15 00:00:49,250 --> 00:00:53,185 It was one of the most dangerous expeditions ever attempted. 16 00:00:53,187 --> 00:00:55,521 That is deadly! 17 00:00:55,656 --> 00:00:57,857 My heart is going a million miles an hour right now. 18 00:00:57,859 --> 00:00:59,458 Oh, my God. 19 00:00:59,527 --> 00:01:01,860 But when his ship became trapped in ice, 20 00:01:01,929 --> 00:01:05,064 his mission transformed from a feat of polar exploration 21 00:01:05,133 --> 00:01:08,400 to history's greatest story of survival. 22 00:01:08,469 --> 00:01:12,505 To me, everything about this seems impossible. 23 00:01:17,278 --> 00:01:19,011 I'm Don Wildman. 24 00:01:19,146 --> 00:01:21,279 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 25 00:01:21,316 --> 00:01:24,416 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 26 00:01:24,485 --> 00:01:26,285 That is unbelievable. 27 00:01:26,287 --> 00:01:28,354 Now, I'm digging deeper into some of the most 28 00:01:28,489 --> 00:01:31,223 perplexing and famous cases in history. 29 00:01:31,226 --> 00:01:34,026 My goal? To get closer to the truth. 30 00:01:34,095 --> 00:01:36,094 Let's burn this place down. Let's burn it down. 31 00:01:36,130 --> 00:01:39,699 On this special episode of "Mysteries at the Museum"... 32 00:01:39,834 --> 00:01:42,968 Race to the Antarctic. 33 00:01:45,907 --> 00:01:48,174 Of all the explorers of the 20th century, 34 00:01:48,176 --> 00:01:51,744 Sir Ernest Shackleton stands out as one of the world's most famous. 35 00:01:54,382 --> 00:01:57,383 When he and his men set sail from Britain in 1914, 36 00:01:57,452 --> 00:01:59,918 they had no idea what they would encounter. 37 00:01:59,987 --> 00:02:02,588 Their goal was to reach Antarctica, 38 00:02:02,657 --> 00:02:04,924 but Mother Nature had made other plans. 39 00:02:05,059 --> 00:02:07,660 What began as an epic adventure 40 00:02:07,729 --> 00:02:10,395 quickly brought Shackleton and his 27 crewmen 41 00:02:10,431 --> 00:02:13,132 face to face with almost certain death. 42 00:02:13,201 --> 00:02:15,867 So why would Shackleton 43 00:02:15,903 --> 00:02:18,937 even attempt to conquer the Antarctic? 44 00:02:18,973 --> 00:02:21,006 What was the prize? 45 00:02:21,009 --> 00:02:23,809 To find out, I'm starting where the journey began, 46 00:02:23,878 --> 00:02:26,412 right here in England. 47 00:02:33,888 --> 00:02:37,156 First stop is ground zero for polar exploration-- 48 00:02:37,158 --> 00:02:39,759 the Scott Polar Research Institute. 49 00:02:46,467 --> 00:02:49,568 Their collection features ship models, 50 00:02:49,637 --> 00:02:53,639 clothes, and artifacts from Shackleton's past expeditions. 51 00:02:58,980 --> 00:03:02,048 By the turn of the 20th century, the age of polar exploration 52 00:03:02,183 --> 00:03:04,583 was in full swing. 53 00:03:04,719 --> 00:03:07,720 The race to reach the furthest corners of the globe was on. 54 00:03:07,789 --> 00:03:09,989 By 1909, 55 00:03:09,991 --> 00:03:13,192 Frederick Cook and Robert Peary had both led expeditions 56 00:03:13,194 --> 00:03:15,327 to the North Pole. 57 00:03:15,396 --> 00:03:17,863 So the attention of the world's greatest explorers, 58 00:03:17,932 --> 00:03:21,734 men like Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, 59 00:03:21,736 --> 00:03:25,004 and Ernest Shackleton, turned to the last unconquered 60 00:03:25,139 --> 00:03:27,939 place on Earth-- the South Pole. 61 00:03:27,975 --> 00:03:31,810 Whoever reached the South Pole first would go down in history. 62 00:03:31,846 --> 00:03:34,680 In 1912, 63 00:03:34,682 --> 00:03:38,083 after two failed attempts, Shackleton was planning 64 00:03:38,119 --> 00:03:40,553 his third expedition to the South Pole 65 00:03:40,555 --> 00:03:43,155 when the devastating word arrived that he had 66 00:03:43,290 --> 00:03:46,692 already been beaten there by fellow explorer, Amundsen. 67 00:03:52,834 --> 00:03:55,501 But Shackleton wasn't going 68 00:03:55,503 --> 00:03:57,837 to give up on his lust for glory. 69 00:03:57,972 --> 00:04:00,238 He set his sights on a new goal. 70 00:04:00,274 --> 00:04:02,774 Although explorers had visited different sections 71 00:04:02,810 --> 00:04:04,910 of Antarctica, no one had ever 72 00:04:05,045 --> 00:04:07,713 trekked across the entire continent. 73 00:04:07,848 --> 00:04:10,583 The idea was bold and dangerous. 74 00:04:10,585 --> 00:04:13,519 Shackleton named the adventure "The Imperial 75 00:04:13,521 --> 00:04:16,589 Trans-Antarctic Expedition." 76 00:04:16,591 --> 00:04:20,325 So who was Sir Ernest Shackleton? 77 00:04:20,395 --> 00:04:24,463 What drove him to risk his life and the lives of others? 78 00:04:24,465 --> 00:04:27,132 Why did he want to be first? 79 00:04:27,201 --> 00:04:29,935 To find out, I'm here at the institute archives 80 00:04:30,004 --> 00:04:33,138 to meet with a woman who knows the Shackleton legend 81 00:04:33,207 --> 00:04:35,340 better than anyone... 82 00:04:35,376 --> 00:04:37,443 his granddaughter. 83 00:04:45,653 --> 00:04:48,220 Alexandra--hello, Don. Nice to meet you. 84 00:04:48,222 --> 00:04:50,222 Oh, it's lovely to see you. It is an honor to meet you. 85 00:04:50,291 --> 00:04:52,958 WILDMAN: Alexandra's father was Shackleton's son. 86 00:04:52,994 --> 00:04:56,295 Although she never met her famous grandfather, 87 00:04:56,430 --> 00:04:59,098 she works tirelessly to preserve his legacy. 88 00:04:59,233 --> 00:05:01,567 Today, she's sharing 89 00:05:01,569 --> 00:05:03,836 some of his most cherished items with me, 90 00:05:03,838 --> 00:05:06,639 including his own personal journal and an original 91 00:05:06,641 --> 00:05:08,974 brochure from the expedition. 92 00:05:09,010 --> 00:05:10,976 Oh, look at that. 93 00:05:11,111 --> 00:05:14,513 This was an enormous undertaking 94 00:05:14,582 --> 00:05:17,583 just to organize, nevermind to accomplish. 95 00:05:17,585 --> 00:05:19,551 It was very ambitious. 96 00:05:19,686 --> 00:05:22,254 I mean, after Ernie Shackleton failed to get to the Pole, 97 00:05:22,256 --> 00:05:24,657 he regarded this as the last great adventure, 98 00:05:24,659 --> 00:05:26,725 to cross the Antarctic. 99 00:05:26,761 --> 00:05:28,994 WILDMAN: While some explorers were independently wealthy, 100 00:05:29,030 --> 00:05:31,663 Shackleton was not, so he raised his money 101 00:05:31,699 --> 00:05:33,832 from rich donors who wanted to be associated 102 00:05:33,868 --> 00:05:36,134 with a history-making feat. 103 00:05:36,204 --> 00:05:38,537 It took almost four years to put together 104 00:05:38,539 --> 00:05:41,206 the 80,000 pounds needed for the trip. 105 00:05:41,275 --> 00:05:43,475 That's about $10 million today. 106 00:05:43,544 --> 00:05:46,611 Why the Antarctic? Because the Antarctic 107 00:05:46,647 --> 00:05:49,081 was unknown, beautiful, romantic, exciting, 108 00:05:49,083 --> 00:05:52,418 offered better possibilities for adventure and discovery 109 00:05:52,420 --> 00:05:54,620 than probably any other part of the world. 110 00:05:54,755 --> 00:05:57,822 And the point of the expedition is that no one had ever 111 00:05:57,858 --> 00:06:00,625 crossed the continent. No one had done it before. 112 00:06:00,661 --> 00:06:03,962 WILDMAN: Unlike earlier explorers, who stood to make 113 00:06:03,998 --> 00:06:06,832 money from discovering new trade routes, 114 00:06:06,901 --> 00:06:10,903 polar adventurers were driven by competition and glory. 115 00:06:14,308 --> 00:06:17,442 So he buys a ship called the Polaris , Yes. 116 00:06:17,478 --> 00:06:20,379 renames it the Endurance . Where did that name come from? SHACKLETON: Renames her. 117 00:06:20,514 --> 00:06:22,648 It's called Endurance 'cause it's a Shackleton family motto, 118 00:06:22,783 --> 00:06:25,517 "By endurance we conquer." By endurance we conquer. 119 00:06:25,586 --> 00:06:29,054 WILDMAN: One of ten children born into a middle class family, 120 00:06:29,056 --> 00:06:32,057 Shackleton joined the merchant navy at the age of 16 121 00:06:32,126 --> 00:06:34,860 and soon acquired a taste for adventure. 122 00:06:34,929 --> 00:06:37,463 His first experience in Antarctica 123 00:06:37,598 --> 00:06:40,065 was in 1901 as part of a failed attempt 124 00:06:40,167 --> 00:06:42,000 to trek to the South Pole. 125 00:06:42,036 --> 00:06:44,937 There, he fell ill with scurvy, snow blindness, 126 00:06:45,072 --> 00:06:48,139 and frostbite and only just made it back alive, 127 00:06:48,175 --> 00:06:50,876 but despite the defeat, the trip cemented 128 00:06:50,878 --> 00:06:53,913 his desire to unlock the secrets of the frozen continent. 129 00:06:58,352 --> 00:07:01,019 By the time he came to assemble the crew 130 00:07:01,088 --> 00:07:03,756 for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 131 00:07:03,891 --> 00:07:05,957 his qualities as a leader 132 00:07:06,027 --> 00:07:08,760 were well established. 133 00:07:08,829 --> 00:07:11,763 Shackleton was not a typical leader of those times. 134 00:07:11,799 --> 00:07:14,366 He took great trouble to get to know his men. 135 00:07:14,435 --> 00:07:17,769 He was, um... very, very practical. 136 00:07:17,805 --> 00:07:19,772 He would do any odd job on an expedition, 137 00:07:19,907 --> 00:07:22,107 however menial, which was quite unusual 138 00:07:22,109 --> 00:07:24,376 for 100 years ago, but he was also a very 139 00:07:24,378 --> 00:07:27,379 romantic man who wrote poetry and love literature. 140 00:07:27,415 --> 00:07:29,648 WILDMAN: Very disciplined person? SHACKLETON: Very disciplined. 141 00:07:29,783 --> 00:07:32,117 Also, very pragmatic. Mm. 142 00:07:32,186 --> 00:07:34,519 He didn't look back-- that was one of his most important qualities. 143 00:07:34,589 --> 00:07:37,523 WILDMAN: Crewing up for the dangerous adventure 144 00:07:37,658 --> 00:07:39,525 proved easier than he thought. 145 00:07:39,660 --> 00:07:42,795 More than 5,000 people applied, each sharing 146 00:07:42,797 --> 00:07:45,597 in Shackleton's desire to be part of a momentous, 147 00:07:45,666 --> 00:07:47,599 history-making journey. 148 00:07:47,668 --> 00:07:50,335 He once listed the qualities he required of a polar explorer, 149 00:07:50,371 --> 00:07:52,738 and the first one was optimism. 150 00:07:52,873 --> 00:07:54,472 WILDMAN: With his pick of the litter, 151 00:07:54,508 --> 00:07:56,675 Shackleton was able to select the best of the best 152 00:07:56,677 --> 00:07:59,411 and put together a robust and skilled crew. 153 00:07:59,546 --> 00:08:02,681 Of the 27 men on board, there were not only 154 00:08:02,750 --> 00:08:05,284 professional seamen but scientists, 155 00:08:05,419 --> 00:08:08,353 engineers, surgeons, and even a photographer 156 00:08:08,389 --> 00:08:11,423 and an artist--in fact, with help from one of 157 00:08:11,558 --> 00:08:13,759 the wealthy donors, the expedition was outfitted 158 00:08:13,828 --> 00:08:16,161 with both still and motion cameras, 159 00:08:16,230 --> 00:08:19,531 and the incredible footage still exists today. 160 00:08:23,337 --> 00:08:25,504 The Endurance was loaded with dried food 161 00:08:25,573 --> 00:08:28,574 and drinking water and more than 60 sled dogs 162 00:08:28,576 --> 00:08:31,042 to drag them across the continent. 163 00:08:31,078 --> 00:08:33,912 On August 1, 1914, 164 00:08:33,914 --> 00:08:36,448 Shackleton bid farewell to his family, 165 00:08:36,450 --> 00:08:38,984 and the ship set sail for Antarctica. 166 00:08:39,053 --> 00:08:42,454 Shackleton was confident he would succeed. 167 00:08:49,597 --> 00:08:51,530 Five months later, as the Endurance 168 00:08:51,599 --> 00:08:54,132 made its way through the ice-packed Southern Ocean, 169 00:08:54,168 --> 00:08:56,735 they had their first 170 00:08:56,804 --> 00:08:59,671 spotting of the continent. 171 00:08:59,673 --> 00:09:02,540 The expedition was going well. 172 00:09:02,576 --> 00:09:05,277 [ Distant shouting ] 173 00:09:05,279 --> 00:09:06,878 But in mid-January, 174 00:09:06,947 --> 00:09:09,281 all that changed. 175 00:09:09,283 --> 00:09:12,083 One hundred miles from the coast of Antarctica, 176 00:09:12,153 --> 00:09:15,287 they found themselves gridlocked in ice. 177 00:09:15,356 --> 00:09:18,824 The majestic vessel could no longer move. 178 00:09:18,959 --> 00:09:22,360 So describe for me exactly what happens when the Endurance 179 00:09:22,430 --> 00:09:24,163 first gets, uh, stranded. 180 00:09:24,298 --> 00:09:27,432 Well, they tried to pull her out of it. 181 00:09:27,501 --> 00:09:30,635 They heaved her and then took ropes 182 00:09:30,704 --> 00:09:32,504 and made a path through the ice, 183 00:09:32,506 --> 00:09:34,572 but it was hopeless-- the ice was too heavy. 184 00:09:34,608 --> 00:09:36,909 WILDMAN: January 18, 1915. 185 00:09:36,911 --> 00:09:39,378 Shackleton and his men were stranded in the middle 186 00:09:39,513 --> 00:09:42,714 of the Weddell Sea, inside the Antarctic Circle. 187 00:09:42,750 --> 00:09:45,584 So Ernest Shackleton decides they have to abandon 188 00:09:45,653 --> 00:09:48,687 the ship and live on the ice. Yes, beside her. 189 00:09:56,463 --> 00:09:58,930 WILDMAN: The men unloaded their supplies of food 190 00:09:58,999 --> 00:10:01,266 and fresh water from the ship and set up camp 191 00:10:01,302 --> 00:10:03,335 on the ice. 192 00:10:03,404 --> 00:10:05,670 The plan was to wait for the weather to warm up 193 00:10:05,706 --> 00:10:08,607 so the ice would melt and allow them to sail on. 194 00:10:08,742 --> 00:10:12,343 SHACKLETON: But Ernest Shackleton was very aware 195 00:10:12,379 --> 00:10:14,679 that people living in difficult and dangerous circumstances 196 00:10:14,748 --> 00:10:18,016 on the ice, routine was the key. 197 00:10:18,018 --> 00:10:20,686 Breakfast was at nine, the jobs are shared out. 198 00:10:20,688 --> 00:10:24,756 There were football matches, there were amateur theatricals. 199 00:10:24,792 --> 00:10:27,425 There were dog races, birthdays were celebrated Mmhm. 200 00:10:27,461 --> 00:10:29,427 to keep everyone busy. 201 00:10:29,463 --> 00:10:31,630 And he was beloved by his men. Yes. 202 00:10:31,699 --> 00:10:34,232 WILDMAN: Nicknamed "The Boss," 203 00:10:34,268 --> 00:10:37,769 Shackleton was dedicated to his crew's wellbeing. 204 00:10:37,771 --> 00:10:39,570 How did they eat-- what were they eating? 205 00:10:39,607 --> 00:10:41,640 Well, there was a cook-- he would make bread, 206 00:10:41,709 --> 00:10:44,576 biscuits, stew--originally beef, but then it would be 207 00:10:44,578 --> 00:10:46,978 penguin stew, whatever he could do. 208 00:10:47,047 --> 00:10:49,981 WILDMAN: Every morning, Shackleton would parse out 209 00:10:50,017 --> 00:10:53,118 the rations to all 27 men, making hot milk 210 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,586 and hand-delivering it to the tents. 211 00:10:55,623 --> 00:10:58,723 Still, conditions were brutal, 212 00:10:58,792 --> 00:11:02,393 and living on a slab of ice in the middle of the ocean 213 00:11:02,429 --> 00:11:05,196 was incredibly dangerous. 214 00:11:05,232 --> 00:11:07,866 As the sea surged beneath, 215 00:11:08,001 --> 00:11:11,937 the ice constantly shifted and cracked open unexpectedly. 216 00:11:11,939 --> 00:11:15,207 The men had to be vigilant so as not to end up 217 00:11:15,342 --> 00:11:17,876 in the frigid water. 218 00:11:18,011 --> 00:11:20,545 Did he have regrets about this, having put himself 219 00:11:20,681 --> 00:11:22,814 and his men in this situation? I don't think so. 220 00:11:22,950 --> 00:11:25,717 Nobody had to come. They were all volunteers. Mmhm. Right. 221 00:11:29,890 --> 00:11:32,424 WILDMAN: As days and weeks ticked by, they tried to free 222 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,694 their ship from the ice, but to no avail. 223 00:11:35,696 --> 00:11:39,497 On November 21st, eleven months 224 00:11:39,533 --> 00:11:42,267 after becoming trapped, the unthinkable happened. 225 00:11:45,973 --> 00:11:48,907 The shifting ice crushed the Endurance . 226 00:11:48,909 --> 00:11:51,909 The men watched as the masts crumbled under the strain, 227 00:11:51,946 --> 00:11:55,247 and their beloved ship sank to the bottom of the ocean. 228 00:11:55,382 --> 00:11:58,250 Shackleton recorded the moment in this very diary. 229 00:11:58,319 --> 00:12:01,653 "She went today, I was standing, ran up to the front. 230 00:12:01,689 --> 00:12:04,656 At 5pm, she went down by the head." 231 00:12:10,798 --> 00:12:12,731 They abandon the ship. Yes. 232 00:12:12,866 --> 00:12:15,467 And, in essence, abandon the expedition, 233 00:12:15,469 --> 00:12:17,869 and it turns into a... Fight for survival. 234 00:12:17,871 --> 00:12:20,405 ...a fight for survival. That's amazing. 235 00:12:20,407 --> 00:12:23,875 Their ship was gone, and with the expedition 236 00:12:23,944 --> 00:12:27,145 not due back in England for another two years, 237 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,748 no one back home would have any idea they were in trouble. 238 00:12:30,784 --> 00:12:34,085 There would be no one coming to their rescue. 239 00:12:34,121 --> 00:12:38,023 How could they survive such a cold and desolate place? 240 00:12:38,025 --> 00:12:41,560 What were Shackleton and his men going to do now? 241 00:12:52,306 --> 00:12:54,439 WILDMAN: Polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, 242 00:12:54,441 --> 00:12:57,843 and his 27 men were stranded near the Antarctic continent 243 00:12:57,978 --> 00:13:00,511 after their ship was crushed by ice and sank 244 00:13:00,547 --> 00:13:03,115 to the bottom of the sea. 245 00:13:03,117 --> 00:13:06,385 For a year, they lived on the unstable ice floe 246 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,054 as the water surged beneath them, 247 00:13:09,189 --> 00:13:11,790 their supplies and food running out. 248 00:13:11,792 --> 00:13:14,259 Death was drawing near. 249 00:13:14,394 --> 00:13:17,128 What started as a rough adventure had become 250 00:13:17,197 --> 00:13:19,664 a daily fight for survival. 251 00:13:19,733 --> 00:13:21,866 As the men burned through their supplies, 252 00:13:21,902 --> 00:13:24,670 battled the elements, and struggled to stay sane, 253 00:13:24,805 --> 00:13:26,872 Shackleton made a decision. 254 00:13:26,874 --> 00:13:30,342 The only way to survive was to leave the ice in search of land, 255 00:13:30,411 --> 00:13:33,979 but how in the world would they do that with a sunken ship? 256 00:13:39,420 --> 00:13:42,354 Before the Endurance sank, Shackleton had the foresight 257 00:13:42,423 --> 00:13:45,490 to retrieve three small lifeboats from the vessel. 258 00:13:48,161 --> 00:13:51,496 One of them, the James Caird , is on display here 259 00:13:51,631 --> 00:13:54,166 at Shackleton's former school in London. 260 00:13:54,301 --> 00:13:56,034 Oh, hey, look at that. 261 00:13:56,169 --> 00:13:58,302 Pretty. 262 00:14:01,442 --> 00:14:03,775 These three tiny boats were their only hope 263 00:14:03,811 --> 00:14:05,944 of returning to civilization. 264 00:14:09,817 --> 00:14:12,517 But before they could even attempt to reach solid land, 265 00:14:12,519 --> 00:14:15,320 the boats would have to be transported more than 266 00:14:15,322 --> 00:14:18,357 ten miles across the ice to the open sea. 267 00:14:21,261 --> 00:14:23,261 The men loaded the boats onto sledge runners, 268 00:14:23,396 --> 00:14:25,797 and along with a team of dogs, dragged them the vast 269 00:14:25,932 --> 00:14:28,400 distance to the water's edge. 270 00:14:28,402 --> 00:14:30,469 They had to be alert-- at any moment, 271 00:14:30,604 --> 00:14:32,937 the shifting ice beneath them could crack, 272 00:14:33,006 --> 00:14:35,673 and they'd be swallowed up by the bitter, cold sea. 273 00:14:35,709 --> 00:14:38,943 It was a miracle they had survived this long, 274 00:14:39,012 --> 00:14:42,881 but finally, they reached open water. 275 00:14:43,016 --> 00:14:45,817 But not everything or everyone 276 00:14:45,853 --> 00:14:48,486 could fit into these tiny boats. 277 00:14:48,522 --> 00:14:51,823 Shackleton had to make a difficult decision. 278 00:14:51,859 --> 00:14:54,226 In order to save his entire crew of men, 279 00:14:54,361 --> 00:14:57,762 he'd have to sacrifice the team of dogs and use the meat 280 00:14:57,831 --> 00:15:01,099 for sustenance on the near impossible journey to come. 281 00:15:01,101 --> 00:15:04,969 With the boats packed, Shackleton set his sights 282 00:15:05,038 --> 00:15:09,107 on the closest piece of land approximately 100 miles away, 283 00:15:09,176 --> 00:15:12,777 a bleak outcrop of rock known as Elephant Island. 284 00:15:12,813 --> 00:15:15,847 And led by the James Caird, they set out 285 00:15:15,982 --> 00:15:18,783 in search of land-- what was it like 286 00:15:18,819 --> 00:15:22,154 for Shackleton and his men to sail in boats this size? 287 00:15:30,063 --> 00:15:32,530 There's one person I know who can give me some answers. 288 00:15:32,566 --> 00:15:35,934 I'm up here in the coastal highlands of Scotland 289 00:15:35,936 --> 00:15:37,869 to meet with Seb Coulthard. 290 00:15:38,004 --> 00:15:40,539 Seb's a sailor, engineer, and adventurer with a unique 291 00:15:40,674 --> 00:15:42,874 insight into the Shackleton story. 292 00:15:42,943 --> 00:15:44,810 He knows a few things about the lifeboats 293 00:15:44,945 --> 00:15:46,578 and the men who sail those. 294 00:15:49,883 --> 00:15:52,149 He's actually retraced Shackleton's journey 295 00:15:52,186 --> 00:15:54,352 in the waters surrounding Antarctica, 296 00:15:54,354 --> 00:15:57,222 and he's built an exact replica of Shackleton's famous 297 00:15:57,357 --> 00:15:59,557 lifeboat, the James Caird . 298 00:15:59,626 --> 00:16:02,961 How you doing? Very well, thank you. 299 00:16:03,096 --> 00:16:05,063 How are you? Don, nice to meet you. 300 00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:09,501 Ah, it is an honor and a privilege to be aboard this. 301 00:16:09,636 --> 00:16:12,570 Ha ha, it's a pleasure to have you on board. WILDMAN: Let's go sailin'. 302 00:16:12,606 --> 00:16:14,973 COULTHARD: Hand over hand, please. 303 00:16:15,108 --> 00:16:18,109 Watch your head, yard going up. 304 00:16:18,112 --> 00:16:20,979 I mean, this is all very basic rigging, isn't it? It is. 305 00:16:21,114 --> 00:16:23,482 Oh, keep going. That's it. Yeah. 306 00:16:27,654 --> 00:16:29,988 WILDMAN: Tell me how exact is this boat? 307 00:16:30,057 --> 00:16:33,391 This is the most accurate replica, uh, 308 00:16:33,527 --> 00:16:35,393 sea-worthy replica in the world. 309 00:16:35,529 --> 00:16:38,129 You know, these fittings, they were all made 310 00:16:38,131 --> 00:16:40,265 by the same company that produced the original fittings 311 00:16:40,267 --> 00:16:42,333 for the original boat. That's so cool! 312 00:16:42,369 --> 00:16:44,936 And I imagine underneath, same story, right? 313 00:16:44,938 --> 00:16:47,506 Everything down below is as authentic as we can get it. 314 00:16:52,746 --> 00:16:55,279 Every single item here has a story behind it, 315 00:16:55,315 --> 00:16:56,882 a function, at least, yeah? Yeah. 316 00:16:57,017 --> 00:16:58,884 Every piece was brought on board the boat 317 00:16:59,019 --> 00:17:02,554 for a very practical reason. Yeah. 318 00:17:04,925 --> 00:17:06,892 So they would be sleeping right on these-- 319 00:17:07,027 --> 00:17:09,094 this bed of rocks. Yeah. 320 00:17:09,096 --> 00:17:12,964 In what? Um, they used reindeer-skin sleeping bags. 321 00:17:13,033 --> 00:17:15,166 Okay. 322 00:17:15,302 --> 00:17:17,569 COULTHARD: Theirs were rotting. WILDMAN: Right. 323 00:17:17,704 --> 00:17:19,637 COULTHARD: They were festering-- the hide was literally 324 00:17:19,706 --> 00:17:22,908 dissolving, so you can imagine the smell. WILDMAN: Yeah, awful. 325 00:17:23,043 --> 00:17:25,177 WILDMAN: As the men sailed towards Elephant Island, 326 00:17:25,312 --> 00:17:27,645 the rough seas pummeled their boats. 327 00:17:27,714 --> 00:17:29,647 Everything was wet-- they were wet. 328 00:17:29,716 --> 00:17:33,084 Every wave would come in and just submerge people down here. 329 00:17:36,122 --> 00:17:38,290 I think the best way to describe it-- it was horrific. 330 00:17:44,264 --> 00:17:46,197 WILDMAN: But the wild waters were just the beginning 331 00:17:46,266 --> 00:17:48,532 of their problems-- once darkness fell, 332 00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:51,068 it was almost impossible for the three boats 333 00:17:51,104 --> 00:17:53,538 to stay in contact with each other. 334 00:17:53,607 --> 00:17:55,473 COULTHARD: Their biggest fear was the dark, WILDMAN: Hm. 335 00:17:55,509 --> 00:17:57,408 because you can't see the icebergs coming. 336 00:17:57,477 --> 00:17:59,343 WILDMAN: So Shackleton instructed the men 337 00:17:59,379 --> 00:18:01,079 to pull the boats out of the water 338 00:18:01,214 --> 00:18:04,215 and camp on an ice floe for the night. 339 00:18:04,284 --> 00:18:06,817 On top of all the other challenges, 340 00:18:06,853 --> 00:18:10,155 the freezing cold temperatures were a deadly threat. 341 00:18:10,290 --> 00:18:14,025 It could be a hundred degrees below zero Fahrenheit. 342 00:18:14,061 --> 00:18:16,761 Yeah, easily. What does that even feel like? 343 00:18:16,830 --> 00:18:19,564 It's horrifically painful. How did they stay warm? 344 00:18:19,566 --> 00:18:23,435 They had to wear a very complex layer system of clothing. Mmhm. 345 00:18:23,437 --> 00:18:26,104 Which, to be honest, is very comparable 346 00:18:26,106 --> 00:18:28,506 to the, sort of, layering system that we use today. 347 00:18:28,508 --> 00:18:32,043 WILDMAN: So you got four layers, is that right? 348 00:18:32,079 --> 00:18:35,179 You got the... Four layers, so there's your underwear. 349 00:18:35,248 --> 00:18:37,982 That's your Jaeger wool underwear. 350 00:18:38,051 --> 00:18:41,186 This is the mid layer, which goes on top. Yeah. 351 00:18:41,188 --> 00:18:43,455 Then you have your insulating layer, 352 00:18:43,457 --> 00:18:46,658 that's your woolly jumper. There you go. 353 00:18:46,660 --> 00:18:50,662 And then you have the Gabardine cotton blouse. Ah. Ah. 354 00:18:50,664 --> 00:18:52,730 WILDMAN: The cotton outer layer was oiled 355 00:18:52,766 --> 00:18:54,766 but not waterproof. 356 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,408 The footwear, believe it or not, they didn't have enough leather 357 00:19:03,543 --> 00:19:05,410 boots to go around for everybody, 358 00:19:05,545 --> 00:19:09,680 so they used reindeer hide as reindeer hide socks 359 00:19:09,716 --> 00:19:11,950 and just pulled them on, and they were latched on 360 00:19:12,085 --> 00:19:15,353 around their ankles. Every part of their body had to be covered, 361 00:19:15,355 --> 00:19:17,955 or it would've gotten frostbite. Yeah. 362 00:19:17,991 --> 00:19:20,758 Every part, hands, head, 363 00:19:20,794 --> 00:19:22,560 face, had to be covered. 364 00:19:22,562 --> 00:19:26,164 Too much exposure to the cold will lead to hypothermia 365 00:19:26,166 --> 00:19:29,067 Sure. and frostbite and eventually death. 366 00:19:34,041 --> 00:19:36,041 WILDMAN: Being on this replica gives me a real 367 00:19:36,043 --> 00:19:38,509 appreciation for what Shackleton and his men were up against 368 00:19:38,545 --> 00:19:41,445 in their hundred-mile passage to Elephant Island. 369 00:19:41,481 --> 00:19:44,849 COULTHARD: The Southern Ocean doesn't differentiate 370 00:19:44,918 --> 00:19:47,786 between a professional sailor or somebody who's 371 00:19:47,788 --> 00:19:49,788 just taken up sailing. Sure. 372 00:19:49,790 --> 00:19:51,389 It will kill you if you're not careful. 373 00:19:51,391 --> 00:19:54,125 WILDMAN: It's one of the most unpredictable bodies of water in the world. 374 00:19:54,161 --> 00:19:56,661 There are huge swells, 375 00:19:56,796 --> 00:19:59,530 strong currents, and powerful tides, 376 00:19:59,599 --> 00:20:02,133 and that's not all-- if the crashing waves 377 00:20:02,169 --> 00:20:04,668 and subzero temperatures didn't kill them, 378 00:20:04,705 --> 00:20:07,405 something even more fearsome might. 379 00:20:07,474 --> 00:20:10,275 Sure enough, as they made their way across the sea, 380 00:20:10,410 --> 00:20:13,811 a pod of killer whales swam dangerously close to them, 381 00:20:13,913 --> 00:20:16,948 and the wake threatened to capsize the three boats. 382 00:20:17,083 --> 00:20:20,752 To me, everything about this seems impossible. 383 00:20:25,091 --> 00:20:29,160 Finally, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, 384 00:20:29,229 --> 00:20:33,298 Shackleton and his men and all three boats reach land. 385 00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:36,434 On April 16, 1916, 386 00:20:36,569 --> 00:20:39,237 after seven grueling days of sailing, 387 00:20:39,372 --> 00:20:42,040 the haggard group finally made it to Elephant Island. 388 00:20:42,175 --> 00:20:44,776 It was the first time they'd set foot 389 00:20:44,845 --> 00:20:47,979 on physical land in nearly 500 days. 390 00:20:47,981 --> 00:20:50,181 Shackleton and his men made camp, 391 00:20:50,316 --> 00:20:52,851 but without anyone else knowing where they were, 392 00:20:52,986 --> 00:20:55,319 how are they gonna be rescued, 393 00:20:55,389 --> 00:20:58,423 and how long could they actually survive here? 394 00:21:12,539 --> 00:21:14,672 WILDMAN: In 1914, polar explorer, 395 00:21:14,674 --> 00:21:16,607 Sir Ernest Shackleton, and his crew 396 00:21:16,643 --> 00:21:18,810 set out to conquer Antarctica. 397 00:21:18,812 --> 00:21:21,345 But what started 398 00:21:21,415 --> 00:21:24,215 as a landmark expedition turned into an impossible 399 00:21:24,350 --> 00:21:26,317 quest for survival. 400 00:21:28,355 --> 00:21:31,021 After living from 15 months on the shifting ice 401 00:21:31,058 --> 00:21:33,691 and sailing for seven harrowing days, 402 00:21:33,827 --> 00:21:37,028 Shackleton and his 27 men successfully made it 403 00:21:37,163 --> 00:21:40,765 to the shores of Elephant Island and set up camp. 404 00:21:40,900 --> 00:21:43,168 To simulate their experience, 405 00:21:43,303 --> 00:21:45,436 I'm in Jungfrau, Switzerland. 406 00:21:45,572 --> 00:21:47,572 This place has 407 00:21:47,707 --> 00:21:50,508 a very similar terrain to islands in that region, 408 00:21:50,544 --> 00:21:52,510 including Elephant Island. 409 00:21:52,546 --> 00:21:54,913 I mean, being here gives me a real sense of what-- 410 00:21:55,048 --> 00:21:57,682 these harsh conditions the men were up against. 411 00:21:59,786 --> 00:22:02,320 I'm with adventurer and Shackleton expert, Seb Coulthard, 412 00:22:02,389 --> 00:22:05,256 and we're racing against time and battling the elements 413 00:22:05,258 --> 00:22:07,191 setting up for the night. 414 00:22:07,227 --> 00:22:09,461 That's a strong wind. It's what you're really dealing with here. 415 00:22:09,596 --> 00:22:10,995 Man, look at that strength of that wind. 416 00:22:11,064 --> 00:22:13,131 It's unbelievable when you're in these conditions. 417 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,534 Elephant Island was uninhabited, 418 00:22:16,570 --> 00:22:19,204 and no one else knew where they were, 419 00:22:19,339 --> 00:22:23,141 so...should they just wait here and hope 420 00:22:23,143 --> 00:22:25,543 or come up with a new plan? 421 00:22:36,356 --> 00:22:38,890 These guys have been-- have been living on ice 422 00:22:38,959 --> 00:22:41,025 for a long time. 423 00:22:41,094 --> 00:22:43,894 Now they're on land-- are there other challenges to that? 424 00:22:43,930 --> 00:22:47,832 Yes, the main challenge was finding, um, 425 00:22:47,901 --> 00:22:50,902 a supply of food to supplement Yeah. 426 00:22:50,971 --> 00:22:54,238 The dried provisions that they had managed to save. 427 00:22:54,241 --> 00:22:56,307 The trouble is is that when winter comes, 428 00:22:56,343 --> 00:22:58,575 the animals retreat, you know, they go to the feeding grounds 429 00:22:58,612 --> 00:23:01,646 in the warmer areas, so they had to kill 430 00:23:01,781 --> 00:23:04,715 as many penguins and as many seals as they could. Right. 431 00:23:04,751 --> 00:23:08,186 Then you need fire to keep them warm and fed. Right. 432 00:23:08,321 --> 00:23:11,189 How do they make a fire? I mean, we've done this... 433 00:23:11,191 --> 00:23:14,191 They actually run out of the supply of wood. Right. 434 00:23:14,227 --> 00:23:17,195 So they began to burn the seal skin, the blubber, 435 00:23:17,264 --> 00:23:20,999 the penguin skins from the animals that they were eating. 436 00:23:21,134 --> 00:23:23,434 I mean, these were despairing conditions, 437 00:23:23,436 --> 00:23:25,003 dire circumstances. 438 00:23:25,138 --> 00:23:27,338 The men were in very poor physical condition 439 00:23:27,407 --> 00:23:30,007 at this point-- Shackleton felt 440 00:23:30,076 --> 00:23:33,277 he had to find some form of rescue. 441 00:23:33,313 --> 00:23:35,412 I mean...wow. 442 00:23:35,448 --> 00:23:38,749 The wind is really kicking up up here. [ Chuckles ] 443 00:23:38,785 --> 00:23:41,952 These lives, I mean, these guys' lives depended on Shackleton. 444 00:23:41,988 --> 00:23:43,955 He had that full responsibility. 445 00:23:44,090 --> 00:23:45,623 Yeah, and he felt it. 446 00:23:50,931 --> 00:23:53,297 WILDMAN: On Elephant Island, the men's food supplies 447 00:23:53,333 --> 00:23:55,767 were dwindling-- Shackleton realized that time 448 00:23:55,769 --> 00:23:57,702 was running out. 449 00:23:57,837 --> 00:23:59,838 If he didn't act quickly, he and his men 450 00:23:59,973 --> 00:24:03,508 would surely die-- Shackleton made a decision. 451 00:24:03,510 --> 00:24:06,711 He picked the five healthiest and strongest men 452 00:24:06,713 --> 00:24:09,180 and set off in the James Caird 453 00:24:09,315 --> 00:24:12,383 to South Georgia island, 800 miles away. 454 00:24:12,419 --> 00:24:16,253 There, they would find a whaling station 455 00:24:16,289 --> 00:24:18,589 and, more importantly, people. 456 00:24:18,591 --> 00:24:20,792 If they could make it, 457 00:24:20,927 --> 00:24:22,794 they had a chance to survive 458 00:24:22,929 --> 00:24:26,197 and save the 22 men they left behind. 459 00:24:26,199 --> 00:24:30,168 It would be the most difficult journey of their lives. 460 00:24:34,273 --> 00:24:36,340 Day after day, the men braved the elements 461 00:24:36,343 --> 00:24:38,743 as the violent sea threatened to capsize 462 00:24:38,812 --> 00:24:41,345 the small, wooden boat. 463 00:24:41,381 --> 00:24:44,281 On the twelfth day, it looked as though 464 00:24:44,317 --> 00:24:46,417 their journey was over. 465 00:24:50,056 --> 00:24:52,356 Shackleton was at the helm, and he can see 466 00:24:52,425 --> 00:24:54,759 this white line, and he thinks it's the horizon. 467 00:24:54,761 --> 00:24:56,160 It's not. 468 00:24:56,196 --> 00:24:59,430 It's the crest of an enormous wave starting to rise 469 00:24:59,432 --> 00:25:01,765 higher and higher and higher. WILDMAN: Ooh. 470 00:25:01,801 --> 00:25:03,567 COULTHARD: Almost 90 feet. Wow! 471 00:25:03,636 --> 00:25:05,303 And you can imagine the moment where he looks down 472 00:25:05,305 --> 00:25:07,372 at the skipper, and he looks him in the eye, and he goes, 473 00:25:07,507 --> 00:25:09,073 "Oh, my God, it's got us!" 474 00:25:12,078 --> 00:25:14,178 Everyone's freezing to death. It's frightening. 475 00:25:14,313 --> 00:25:17,048 Nobody knows precisely how is it that they manage to survive it. 476 00:25:23,056 --> 00:25:25,456 WILDMAN: Shackleton and his men survive the wave, 477 00:25:25,458 --> 00:25:27,859 but the James Caird did not fare as well. 478 00:25:27,861 --> 00:25:31,863 The boat was very badly damaged, and the planking 479 00:25:31,865 --> 00:25:33,798 began to open up, WILDMAN: Mmhm. 480 00:25:33,933 --> 00:25:36,801 uh, especially at the front of the boat where it met the wave head-on. 481 00:25:36,803 --> 00:25:39,203 And so they have to actually re--they had to 482 00:25:39,272 --> 00:25:40,938 repair the boat while they were sailing it. 483 00:25:40,940 --> 00:25:42,807 They tried, but it didn't work. Oh. 484 00:25:42,809 --> 00:25:44,942 They didn't have the materials necessary to fix it, 485 00:25:44,944 --> 00:25:46,944 um, so... 486 00:25:46,946 --> 00:25:49,147 They just keep on bailing. Keep on bailing. 487 00:25:49,282 --> 00:25:51,082 WILDMAN: Time was of the essence. 488 00:25:51,151 --> 00:25:53,551 If the boat filled with water, it would sink, 489 00:25:53,686 --> 00:25:56,287 and within minutes of being submerged, Shackleton 490 00:25:56,356 --> 00:25:58,256 and his men would die. 491 00:26:12,330 --> 00:26:14,864 WILDMAN: Polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, 492 00:26:14,866 --> 00:26:18,333 wanted to be the first person to cross the continent of Antarctica, 493 00:26:18,402 --> 00:26:22,003 but when his ship was crushed by ice and sank, 494 00:26:22,039 --> 00:26:25,608 his mission went from exploration to survival. 495 00:26:25,743 --> 00:26:30,412 Leaving 22 members of his crew on an uninhabited island, 496 00:26:30,548 --> 00:26:33,481 he and five others went in search of help. 497 00:26:33,518 --> 00:26:36,151 Their goal-- 498 00:26:36,187 --> 00:26:39,154 to sail 800 miles in a small lifeboat 499 00:26:39,157 --> 00:26:41,891 in some of the harshest conditions in the world 500 00:26:42,026 --> 00:26:45,561 to a whaling station on South Georgia Island. 501 00:26:47,365 --> 00:26:50,299 Their rescue mission was almost cut short by a rogue wave. 502 00:26:53,905 --> 00:26:56,037 The boat was damaged, but they were able 503 00:26:56,073 --> 00:26:58,106 to bail out enough water to continue. 504 00:26:58,176 --> 00:27:00,543 [ Dramatic music ] 505 00:27:02,580 --> 00:27:04,446 As the journey wore on, 506 00:27:04,582 --> 00:27:06,982 the men's health began to fail, and seasickness, 507 00:27:07,117 --> 00:27:10,186 frostbite, and hypothermia took hold. 508 00:27:10,321 --> 00:27:13,122 They were struggling to eat, struggling to drink, 509 00:27:13,257 --> 00:27:15,324 struggling to sleep. 510 00:27:15,326 --> 00:27:17,526 Can you even sleep on a boat like this? 511 00:27:17,562 --> 00:27:19,862 Not really, um... 512 00:27:19,931 --> 00:27:21,530 with the size of the waves they were experiencing, 513 00:27:21,632 --> 00:27:25,267 every time the trough of the waves heads towards the boat, 514 00:27:25,303 --> 00:27:27,403 it will smash onto the side of the boat, Wow. 515 00:27:27,538 --> 00:27:29,505 and down below, it's like a gunshot. 516 00:27:34,745 --> 00:27:36,745 WILDMAN: For Shackleton and his men to succeed, 517 00:27:36,781 --> 00:27:40,683 they would need sustenance, but even the simple act of eating 518 00:27:40,685 --> 00:27:43,285 was a monumental challenge. 519 00:27:43,321 --> 00:27:47,556 We're gonna use this little implement here. 520 00:27:47,691 --> 00:27:51,026 Clamp it between our feet. So this collaboration is how they did it. 521 00:27:51,161 --> 00:27:53,429 It has to be-- you can't cook on your own. 522 00:27:53,564 --> 00:27:55,430 You have to have another person. 523 00:27:55,466 --> 00:27:58,033 So what was on their menu? 524 00:27:58,102 --> 00:28:01,637 They were eating, um, a substance called hoosh. 525 00:28:01,639 --> 00:28:05,040 It's beef fat and lean beef 526 00:28:05,175 --> 00:28:06,975 that's been blended together, fifty-fifty, 527 00:28:07,044 --> 00:28:10,445 and they would have eaten three of these a day. 528 00:28:10,515 --> 00:28:13,048 At the time, there's water comin' in here, there's wind, 529 00:28:13,183 --> 00:28:15,850 there's all this sort of thing-- this is not some easy-going experience. 530 00:28:15,887 --> 00:28:19,722 No, imagine the waves crashing in, as well. Yeah. 531 00:28:19,857 --> 00:28:23,125 Because of the danger that this presents, 532 00:28:23,194 --> 00:28:26,595 this would've been a very, very tricky operation 533 00:28:26,664 --> 00:28:28,997 to carry out-- you imagine the clothing 534 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,400 that they were wearing-- it was covered in blubber 535 00:28:31,402 --> 00:28:33,602 and oil, which made it water repellant. 536 00:28:33,737 --> 00:28:35,738 It also makes it flammable. 537 00:28:35,873 --> 00:28:37,606 God, that's just incredible. 538 00:28:37,642 --> 00:28:40,609 The fumes are almost seasickness-inducing. 539 00:28:40,678 --> 00:28:43,345 So, flame off. Okay, all right. 540 00:28:43,381 --> 00:28:44,947 Flame's off. 541 00:28:45,082 --> 00:28:46,749 So at this point, Shackleton would've shouted out, 542 00:28:46,751 --> 00:28:49,351 "Hoosh!" and gone straight in with his spoon. 543 00:28:49,387 --> 00:28:51,486 And we'd all eat from the same thing? Everybody. 544 00:28:51,522 --> 00:28:53,155 All right. 545 00:28:53,224 --> 00:28:55,491 I am dreading this, I have to say. 546 00:28:59,897 --> 00:29:02,831 It's not bad. The food is the key. 547 00:29:02,967 --> 00:29:05,634 Without--without the fuel to keep the body going, 548 00:29:05,769 --> 00:29:08,103 there would have been no rescue attempt. 549 00:29:12,376 --> 00:29:14,376 WILDMAN: Back on Elephant Island, the men were 550 00:29:14,378 --> 00:29:16,579 all becoming dangerously weak. 551 00:29:16,714 --> 00:29:18,446 Depression was prevalent. 552 00:29:18,482 --> 00:29:20,849 Many of them were ill and frostbitten. 553 00:29:20,885 --> 00:29:23,519 Still, they fought to survive. 554 00:29:23,654 --> 00:29:26,322 To stave off starvation, 555 00:29:26,457 --> 00:29:28,924 they hunted for penguins and seals. 556 00:29:28,993 --> 00:29:32,595 They used the two remaining lifeboats to block the wind, 557 00:29:32,696 --> 00:29:36,131 but there was no telling how long they will last. 558 00:29:40,671 --> 00:29:43,739 Against all odds, Shackleton once more 559 00:29:43,741 --> 00:29:45,941 does the seemingly impossible. 560 00:29:53,017 --> 00:29:55,684 Seventeen long days after leaving his men behind 561 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,821 on Elephant Island, Shackleton and his team 562 00:29:58,823 --> 00:30:00,823 reach the shores of South Georgia. 563 00:30:04,161 --> 00:30:06,762 Hungry, thirsty, and soaked to the bone, 564 00:30:06,897 --> 00:30:10,099 their journey was still not over. 565 00:30:10,234 --> 00:30:12,101 The wind and currents had forced them 566 00:30:12,236 --> 00:30:14,502 to land on the western side of the island, 567 00:30:14,538 --> 00:30:17,639 opposite from where they needed to be, 568 00:30:17,708 --> 00:30:21,643 but their boat was so badly damaged, it would never 569 00:30:21,646 --> 00:30:24,213 make the trip around the island. 570 00:30:30,387 --> 00:30:32,855 They were 30 miles from the nearest whaling village 571 00:30:32,857 --> 00:30:35,356 and civilization-- the only way to get there 572 00:30:35,393 --> 00:30:38,193 was to trek over the mountains, but some of the men 573 00:30:38,262 --> 00:30:42,331 were in no condition to hike, suffering from frost nip 574 00:30:42,333 --> 00:30:45,534 and trench foot-- what would Shackleton do? 575 00:30:45,536 --> 00:30:48,536 Would he be able to save the men he was with? 576 00:30:48,572 --> 00:30:51,607 And what about the 22 others now stranded 577 00:30:51,742 --> 00:30:53,909 on Elephant Island? 578 00:31:07,158 --> 00:31:10,225 WILDMAN: Having lost his ship to the icy waters of the Antarctic, 579 00:31:10,227 --> 00:31:13,228 then living on an ice floe for 15 months, 580 00:31:13,364 --> 00:31:16,365 Sir Ernest Shackleton set out with a crew of five 581 00:31:16,367 --> 00:31:19,301 on an 800-mile, 17-day journey 582 00:31:19,303 --> 00:31:21,837 to South Georgia Island to rescue 583 00:31:21,906 --> 00:31:24,839 the 22 men they'd left behind. 584 00:31:24,875 --> 00:31:27,309 His navigator, Frank Worsley, and the four others 585 00:31:27,378 --> 00:31:30,379 barely survive the agonizing passage. 586 00:31:30,381 --> 00:31:32,714 While they had made it to shore, 587 00:31:32,750 --> 00:31:35,484 salvation was still a long way off. 588 00:31:42,193 --> 00:31:44,659 To reach the whaling villages based on the island, 589 00:31:44,729 --> 00:31:47,195 Shackleton and his men would have to hike 590 00:31:47,264 --> 00:31:49,731 snow-covered mountains, avoiding the steep, 591 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,668 dangerous crevasses that would mean instant death 592 00:31:52,737 --> 00:31:54,803 if they were to slip and fall. 593 00:31:54,872 --> 00:31:57,739 Realizing that Worsley and a naval petty officer 594 00:31:57,742 --> 00:32:00,542 named Tom Crean were the only two fit 595 00:32:00,544 --> 00:32:03,745 for the excursion, he instructed the other three men 596 00:32:03,814 --> 00:32:06,615 to stay behind, vowing to return for them. 597 00:32:12,490 --> 00:32:14,422 On top of being an expert sailor, 598 00:32:14,492 --> 00:32:16,758 my partner, Seb Coulthard, is also a certified 599 00:32:16,794 --> 00:32:18,894 mountaineering guide. 600 00:32:19,029 --> 00:32:22,431 I'm astonished, I mean, this is extreme terrain. 601 00:32:22,433 --> 00:32:25,367 This is what it was like for them? Yes, absolutely. 602 00:32:25,369 --> 00:32:29,170 I would say this is very comparable to that mountain range. 603 00:32:29,206 --> 00:32:30,839 WILDMAN: Shackleton and his men had landed 604 00:32:30,908 --> 00:32:33,175 on the western side of the island. 605 00:32:33,310 --> 00:32:35,577 To reach the whaling station on the other side, 606 00:32:35,712 --> 00:32:38,046 they would have to cross a totally uncharted 607 00:32:38,049 --> 00:32:40,916 mountain range in freezing conditions. 608 00:32:41,051 --> 00:32:43,519 This is the part of the journey that most surprises me, 609 00:32:43,521 --> 00:32:45,587 because after all they've gone through, 610 00:32:45,623 --> 00:32:47,990 they have to do this. Yes. 611 00:32:48,125 --> 00:32:51,326 And get through it without nearly the gear that we have. 612 00:32:51,462 --> 00:32:54,062 What are you gonna put on me? Okay, so, uh, what we've got-- 613 00:32:54,064 --> 00:32:55,864 We've got rope, so you and I need to be 614 00:32:55,900 --> 00:32:57,399 roped up together. Yeah, okay. 615 00:32:57,401 --> 00:33:00,802 Uh, in case either I fall down a hole, or you go down a hole. Yeah. 616 00:33:00,838 --> 00:33:02,937 Spikes for your boots. 617 00:33:02,973 --> 00:33:05,674 Back then...all they did 618 00:33:05,676 --> 00:33:08,743 was, uh, they took wood screws 619 00:33:08,813 --> 00:33:11,480 out of the planking from the boat, 620 00:33:11,615 --> 00:33:14,149 and they put them through the bottom of the boots 621 00:33:14,185 --> 00:33:16,218 in order to have traction on the ice. 622 00:33:16,287 --> 00:33:19,154 That was their equivalent of crampons. 623 00:33:19,156 --> 00:33:21,890 Yeah, very crude, but believe it or not, it's very effective. 624 00:33:22,025 --> 00:33:24,759 So the inherent problem with South Georgia Island 625 00:33:24,829 --> 00:33:26,761 is glaciers. Yes. 626 00:33:26,831 --> 00:33:29,164 It's probably the most dangerous, um, 627 00:33:29,166 --> 00:33:32,301 feature of the landscape. Sure. 628 00:33:32,436 --> 00:33:34,770 The route they proposed to take, um, 629 00:33:34,772 --> 00:33:36,838 involved crossing, um, 630 00:33:36,874 --> 00:33:39,374 two of the main glaciers. 631 00:33:39,509 --> 00:33:41,376 Did they know those glaciers were there when they arrived there? 632 00:33:41,511 --> 00:33:44,712 No, there was no map for the interior of South Georgia. 633 00:33:44,748 --> 00:33:47,649 So when crossing a mountain with glaciers, 634 00:33:47,784 --> 00:33:49,784 I mean, what are the factors you're dealing with? 635 00:33:49,820 --> 00:33:51,786 It's almost like going through a minefield, isn't it? 636 00:33:51,822 --> 00:33:54,322 You could crash through a crevasse at any point. 637 00:33:54,358 --> 00:33:56,191 [ Makes whistling noise ] 638 00:33:56,326 --> 00:33:59,328 And these are men who are exhausted, I mean, 639 00:33:59,330 --> 00:34:02,397 they've been doing this for, what, two and a half weeks 640 00:34:02,466 --> 00:34:04,332 at this point. Yeah, physically, 641 00:34:04,368 --> 00:34:08,003 the demand of that is just, uh, 642 00:34:08,072 --> 00:34:10,539 it's unbelievable--it's very hard to comprehend, really. 643 00:34:10,541 --> 00:34:13,008 Let's see what we find. 644 00:34:13,143 --> 00:34:15,177 I'll be the guy on the rope behind you. 645 00:34:20,217 --> 00:34:23,018 WILDMAN: We have UV sunglasses to protect from snow blindness, 646 00:34:23,153 --> 00:34:27,088 but Shackleton and his men had no such luxury. 647 00:34:27,157 --> 00:34:30,893 The intense sunlight scorched their eyes. 648 00:34:31,028 --> 00:34:33,695 Incredible. 649 00:34:33,731 --> 00:34:36,031 It was certainly a-- a test of... 650 00:34:36,100 --> 00:34:38,100 their endurance. 651 00:34:38,235 --> 00:34:40,435 WILDMAN: After an hour of trudging through the elements, 652 00:34:40,504 --> 00:34:42,437 we came face-to-face with an obstacle 653 00:34:42,506 --> 00:34:44,573 that could spell disaster. 654 00:34:44,575 --> 00:34:48,043 COULTHARD: This is the biggest crevasse I've ever come across. 655 00:34:48,045 --> 00:34:50,511 WILDMAN: But I wanna get a closer look. 656 00:34:50,547 --> 00:34:52,580 We'll just keep going up in a straight line. 657 00:34:52,650 --> 00:34:54,716 I'll stop, rig up an anchor, 658 00:34:54,718 --> 00:34:56,718 and then you can go to the edge. 659 00:34:56,720 --> 00:34:57,985 Following you. All right. 660 00:34:58,022 --> 00:34:59,855 Just remember to test that edge, all right? Yep. 661 00:34:59,990 --> 00:35:03,658 Walk out, okay, I've got the rope. 662 00:35:03,727 --> 00:35:06,662 Test the snow. 663 00:35:06,797 --> 00:35:09,398 Yeah, test the edge. 664 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,800 Ah, jeez... Whoa, whoa, whoa, right, right. 665 00:35:11,802 --> 00:35:14,269 You need to lay down. Lay down. 666 00:35:14,305 --> 00:35:17,673 Okay, and just... Feels solid. 667 00:35:17,675 --> 00:35:20,709 Okay, that's it, that's it. Oh, my God! 668 00:35:23,781 --> 00:35:27,682 Holy crap! [ Coulthard laughs ] 669 00:35:27,685 --> 00:35:30,752 That is unbelievable! Yeah? 670 00:35:30,754 --> 00:35:32,821 COULTHARD: They're called man eaters 671 00:35:32,956 --> 00:35:35,557 for a reason. That is terrifying! 672 00:35:35,626 --> 00:35:37,826 Oh, my Lord. 673 00:35:39,830 --> 00:35:41,563 This would be typical of something they were 674 00:35:41,632 --> 00:35:43,932 crossing, huh? Yeah, absolutely. 675 00:35:47,771 --> 00:35:49,504 How would they have navigated all of this? 676 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:52,573 They just had a compass, and they set 677 00:35:52,610 --> 00:35:55,777 an east magnetic course knowing that in the distance, 678 00:35:55,813 --> 00:35:58,647 there was a whaling station. A terrifying experience 679 00:35:58,716 --> 00:36:00,716 for these guys. Frightening. 680 00:36:00,851 --> 00:36:03,185 Did they sleep? They did. 681 00:36:03,187 --> 00:36:06,054 But, uh, Shackleton cheated. 682 00:36:06,189 --> 00:36:09,458 Basically, when they reached a certain point 683 00:36:09,460 --> 00:36:12,327 on one of the ridges, they were so exhausted, 684 00:36:12,462 --> 00:36:15,130 they just collapsed, and they began to go 685 00:36:15,265 --> 00:36:17,933 into a hypothermic sleep, and Shackleton knew 686 00:36:18,068 --> 00:36:21,536 if they fall asleep in deep sleep, then... 687 00:36:21,671 --> 00:36:23,605 It was over. That was it, it was over. 688 00:36:23,674 --> 00:36:27,342 So he wakes them up and said, "Hey, you've had half an hour," 689 00:36:27,344 --> 00:36:30,878 and instead, they only had five minutes. Wow, little psychological trick. 690 00:36:30,914 --> 00:36:33,414 Yeah, he just picked them up and carried on. 691 00:36:33,450 --> 00:36:36,885 WILDMAN: The men struggle on for hours. 692 00:36:39,623 --> 00:36:41,356 Look at this-- we're socked in here. 693 00:36:41,425 --> 00:36:43,091 Look how fast the weather changed here. 694 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:45,560 COULTHARD: Yeah, the weather in South Georgia Yeah. 695 00:36:45,596 --> 00:36:48,029 changes very, very, very quick. Mmhm. 696 00:36:48,032 --> 00:36:50,231 The wind can pick up from zero to 50 knots. 697 00:36:50,267 --> 00:36:52,900 Let's get out of here, because this weather's gonna 698 00:36:52,936 --> 00:36:55,837 catch up with us if we're not careful. [ Grunts ] 699 00:36:55,972 --> 00:36:58,440 WILDMAN: Shackleton and his two crewmembers climbed up 700 00:36:58,509 --> 00:37:01,509 the mountainside to the ridge only to confront 701 00:37:01,578 --> 00:37:03,511 yet another hurdle. 702 00:37:03,580 --> 00:37:06,581 Very steep gradient. WILDMAN: Wow! 703 00:37:06,583 --> 00:37:08,717 COULTHARD: Yeah, watch the edge. Don't get too close. 704 00:37:08,786 --> 00:37:10,919 So did Shackleton face this kind of obstacle? 705 00:37:11,054 --> 00:37:13,788 Yeah, the weather was closing in from behind, 706 00:37:13,857 --> 00:37:16,524 and they knew that if they stayed there, 707 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:18,660 they were gonna freeze to death, so they had to descend 708 00:37:18,795 --> 00:37:21,596 quickly, and the only way to do that in their position, 709 00:37:21,632 --> 00:37:25,266 um, was a known mountaineering technique called a glacade. 710 00:37:25,335 --> 00:37:27,402 Uh, it's basically a bum slide. 711 00:37:27,504 --> 00:37:29,203 WILDMAN: So this is their only alternative. 712 00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:31,940 Otherwise, they stay on this ridge, and they die. Yep. 713 00:37:31,942 --> 00:37:34,876 It's incredible-- so Shackleton makes the call, 714 00:37:34,945 --> 00:37:38,012 we're going down that hill. Yeah, shove off. 715 00:37:38,048 --> 00:37:40,148 Yah! Ooooh! 716 00:37:44,221 --> 00:37:46,722 Rahhh. [ Grunting ] 717 00:37:49,226 --> 00:37:50,892 You okay? 718 00:37:50,894 --> 00:37:53,862 Yeah, I'm fine, but... you can feel the danger. 719 00:37:58,435 --> 00:38:00,702 WILDMAN: After hiking for nearly 30 miles 720 00:38:00,837 --> 00:38:04,405 and 36 hours, Shackleton and his men heard 721 00:38:04,441 --> 00:38:06,975 the sweetest sound imaginable-- 722 00:38:07,110 --> 00:38:10,111 the whistle blow from the whaling station. 723 00:38:10,180 --> 00:38:12,614 Their destination was a reality. 724 00:38:14,718 --> 00:38:16,751 On May 20, 1916, 725 00:38:16,787 --> 00:38:19,387 the men arrived at Stromness Whaling Station 726 00:38:19,523 --> 00:38:23,258 and told their unbelievable story. 727 00:38:23,393 --> 00:38:27,262 Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean were finally safe, 728 00:38:27,397 --> 00:38:30,198 but there were still the three men left behind 729 00:38:30,234 --> 00:38:32,400 on the other side of South Georgia, 730 00:38:32,402 --> 00:38:34,936 and what about the 22 back on Elephant Island? 731 00:38:35,005 --> 00:38:37,172 Could Shackleton save them, 732 00:38:37,307 --> 00:38:39,307 and were they still alive? 733 00:38:51,740 --> 00:38:54,107 Polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, 734 00:38:54,242 --> 00:38:56,843 had set out to cross the continent of Antarctica, 735 00:38:56,912 --> 00:38:59,379 but before he could reach his goal, his ship sank 736 00:38:59,448 --> 00:39:02,782 and turned his expedition into a fight for survival. 737 00:39:02,818 --> 00:39:05,652 Now, against all odds, 738 00:39:05,721 --> 00:39:08,120 after hiking for 36 hours, 739 00:39:08,157 --> 00:39:11,324 Shackleton and two of his men had made it safely 740 00:39:11,459 --> 00:39:13,660 back to civilization. 741 00:39:13,662 --> 00:39:16,530 But the celebration was short-lived. 742 00:39:16,665 --> 00:39:19,065 Shackleton's mission was not over. 743 00:39:19,101 --> 00:39:22,068 He had made a promise to the men he left behind, 744 00:39:22,137 --> 00:39:24,938 three on the other side of South Georgia, 745 00:39:25,073 --> 00:39:28,074 and 22 stranded on Elephant Island. 746 00:39:28,177 --> 00:39:31,611 There was no way of knowing if they were even alive. 747 00:39:31,647 --> 00:39:34,614 First, they picked up the three men, 748 00:39:34,683 --> 00:39:37,751 but getting to Elephant Island was far more difficult. 749 00:39:43,225 --> 00:39:45,158 The first attempt failed. 750 00:39:45,227 --> 00:39:47,427 So did the second. 751 00:39:47,496 --> 00:39:49,963 Both times, they ships were unable to crash 752 00:39:49,965 --> 00:39:52,632 through the ice pack and had to abort the rescue, 753 00:39:52,701 --> 00:39:56,236 but Shackleton wouldn't give up. 754 00:39:56,305 --> 00:40:00,106 On August 30, 1916, 755 00:40:00,108 --> 00:40:03,710 on a loaned out Chilean steamer, Shackleton arrived 756 00:40:03,779 --> 00:40:06,379 at the shores of Elephant Island. 757 00:40:06,448 --> 00:40:09,048 All of his men were still alive. 758 00:40:09,117 --> 00:40:12,853 For more than two years, the team from 759 00:40:12,988 --> 00:40:15,588 the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 760 00:40:15,657 --> 00:40:19,125 had lived on the ice, sailed treacherous waters, 761 00:40:19,261 --> 00:40:22,228 and crossed uncharted mountains and glaciers. 762 00:40:29,570 --> 00:40:32,271 Miraculously, Shackleton and all 27 men 763 00:40:32,341 --> 00:40:34,807 returned home to England. 764 00:40:34,877 --> 00:40:37,344 They had survived certain death 765 00:40:37,346 --> 00:40:40,146 and lived to tell the tale. 766 00:40:40,148 --> 00:40:42,682 Shackleton had achieved the unimaginable, 767 00:40:42,751 --> 00:40:45,485 conquering the deadliest elements known to man 768 00:40:45,554 --> 00:40:48,821 and somehow ensuring the safe return of his entire crew. 769 00:40:48,891 --> 00:40:52,359 As tales of this incredible journey spread, 770 00:40:52,494 --> 00:40:55,762 Ernest Shackleton's name became associated with fearless 771 00:40:55,831 --> 00:40:58,965 and unwavering leadership, and with that, 772 00:40:59,034 --> 00:41:01,834 Shackleton cemented his place in history. 773 00:41:01,870 --> 00:41:04,637 His journey of survival 774 00:41:04,673 --> 00:41:07,106 became his greatest accomplishment, 775 00:41:07,175 --> 00:41:10,810 putting him in a category all of his own. 776 00:41:18,020 --> 00:41:21,254 In the glimmering twilight, a lone star hovers, 777 00:41:21,256 --> 00:41:23,790 gem-like above the bay. 778 00:41:23,792 --> 00:41:25,725 WILDMAN: These were the final words written 779 00:41:25,860 --> 00:41:28,461 by Ernest Shackleton in his diary while on 780 00:41:28,463 --> 00:41:31,264 what would be his last expedition to Antarctica. 781 00:41:31,333 --> 00:41:33,800 A few minutes later, 782 00:41:33,869 --> 00:41:36,069 he suffered a fatal heart attack. 783 00:41:36,071 --> 00:41:39,071 It was January 1922. 784 00:41:39,107 --> 00:41:41,541 He was 47 years old. 785 00:41:41,543 --> 00:41:44,810 His wife, Emily, felt that her husband was an explorer 786 00:41:44,846 --> 00:41:47,614 of the world and belonged where his heart and passion 787 00:41:47,749 --> 00:41:49,949 truly lived. 788 00:41:50,018 --> 00:41:53,153 At her request, he was buried 789 00:41:53,155 --> 00:41:55,388 on South Georgia Island. 790 00:42:02,163 --> 00:42:04,564 Even though Shackleton never fulfilled his quest, 791 00:42:04,699 --> 00:42:07,033 he was celebrated as a hero. 792 00:42:07,035 --> 00:42:09,569 His success was measured not by the failure 793 00:42:09,638 --> 00:42:12,906 of his original mission, but by the determined rescue 794 00:42:12,908 --> 00:42:15,708 of his crew-- today, he's considered 795 00:42:15,711 --> 00:42:17,977 one of the world's greatest leaders, 796 00:42:17,979 --> 00:42:20,579 a man who embodied his own family's motto-- 797 00:42:20,615 --> 00:42:22,849 "By endurance we conquer." 797 00:42:23,305 --> 00:43:23,180