At a time of widespread despair , the world was captivated by the discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton ’ s expedition ship , Endurance , in March . The project to find the lost ship was mounted by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust ( FMHT ) using a South African icebreaker and equipped with remotely operated vehicles . Footage of Endurance , resting 3km under the Weddell Sea , was greeted with sheer astonishment , as its timbers showed no sign of decay . Crushed by sea-ice , Endurance sank in 1915 , forcing Shackleton and his men to make an historic escape on foot and in small boats . “ Without any exaggeration this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen - by far ,” said marine archaeologist Mensun Bound , who was on the expedition and describes the discovery as the pinnacle of a 50-year career . “ It is upright , well proud of the seabed , intact , and in a brilliant state of preservation ,” he told reporters .
FALKLANDS MARITIME HERITAGE TRUST / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
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