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Voyage of the James Caird

May 10, 2023

The voyage of the James Caird was a journey of 1,300 kilometres (800 mi) from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands through the Southern Ocean to South Georgia, undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions to obtain rescue for the main body of the stranded Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917. Many historians regard the voyage of the crew in a 22.5-foot (6.9 m) ship's boat through the "Furious Fifties" as the greatest small-boat journey ever completed.

Launching the James Caird from the shore of Elephant Island, 24 April 1916

In October 1915, pack ice in the Weddell Sea had sunk the main expedition ship Endurance, leaving Shackleton and his 27 companions adrift on a floe. They drifted northward until April 1916, when the floe on which they were camped broke up; they made their way in the ship's boats to Elephant Island. Shackleton decided to sail one of the boats with a small crew to South Georgia to seek help. It was not the closest human settlement but the only one that did not require them to sail into the prevailing westerlies.

Of the three boats, the James Caird was deemed the most likely to survive the journey (Shackleton had named it after Sir James Key Caird, a Dundee philanthropist whose sponsorship had helped finance the expedition). Before its voyage, the ship's carpenter, Harry McNish, strengthened and adapted the boat to withstand the seas of the Southern Ocean, sealing his makeshift wood and canvas deck with lamp wick, oil paint and seal blood.

After surviving a series of dangers, including a near capsizing, the small crew and boat reached the southern coast of South Georgia after a 17-day voyage. Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley crossed the island's mountains to a whaling station on the north side. Here they organised the relief of three men left on the south side of the island and of the larger Elephant Island party. Ultimately, the entire Endurance crew returned home, without loss of life. After the First World War, in 1919, the James Caird was moved from South Georgia to England. Since 1922 it has been on regular display at Shackleton's alma mater school, Dulwich College.

Background

 
Endurance, listing at a steep angle, shortly before being crushed by the ice, October 1915; photograph by Frank Hurley

On 5 December 1914, Shackleton's expedition traveled via the ship Endurance from South Georgia for the Weddell Sea, on the first stage of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.[1] They were making for Vahsel Bay, the southernmost explored point of the Weddell Sea at 77° 49' S, where a shore party was to land and prepare for a transcontinental crossing of Antarctica.[2] Before reaching its destination, the ship became trapped in pack ice, and by 14 February 1915 was held fast, despite prolonged efforts to free her.[3] During the following eight months the crew stayed with the ship as she drifted northward in the ice until, on 27 October, she was crushed by the pack's pressure, finally sinking on 21 November.[4]

As his 27-man crew set up camp on the slowly moving ice, Shackleton's focus shifted to how best to save his party.[5] His first plan was to march across the ice to the nearest land, and try to reach a point that ships were known to visit.[6] The march began, but progress was hampered by the nature of the ice's surface, later described by Shackleton as "soft, much broken up, open leads intersecting the floes at all angles".[7]

After struggling to make headway over several days, they abandoned the march; the party established "Patience Camp" on a flat ice floe, and waited as the drift carried them further north, towards open water.[8] They had managed to salvage the three boats, which Shackleton had named after the principal backers of the expedition: Stancomb-Wills, Dudley Docker and James Caird.[9] The party waited until 8 April 1916, when they finally took to the boats as the ice started to break up. Over a perilous period of seven days they sailed and rowed through stormy seas and dangerous loose ice, to reach the temporary haven of Elephant Island on 15 April.[10]

Elephant Island

 
Shackleton's party arriving at Elephant Island, April 1916, after the loss of Endurance

Elephant Island, on the eastern limits of the South Shetland Islands, was remote from anywhere that the expedition had planned to go, and far beyond normal shipping routes. No relief ship would search for them there, and the likelihood of rescue from any other outside agency was equally negligible.[11] The island was bleak and inhospitable, and its terrain devoid of vegetation, although it had fresh water, and a relative abundance of seals and penguins to provide food and fuel for immediate survival.[12] The rigours of an Antarctic winter were fast approaching; the narrow shingle beach where they were camped was already being swept by almost continuous gales and blizzards, which destroyed one of the tents in their temporary camp, and knocked others flat. The pressures and hardships of the previous months were beginning to tell on the men, many of whom were in a run-down state both mentally and physically.[13]

In these conditions, Shackleton decided to try to reach help, using one of the boats. The nearest port was Stanley in the Falkland Islands, 570 nautical miles (1,100 km; 660 mi) away, but made unreachable by the prevailing westerly winds.[11] A better option was to head for Deception Island, 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) away at the western end of the South Shetland chain. Although it was uninhabited, Admiralty records indicated that this island held stores for shipwrecked mariners, and was also visited from time to time by whalers.[14] However, reaching it would also involve a journey against the prevailing winds—though in less open seas—with ultimately no certainty when or if rescue would arrive. After discussions with the expedition's second-in-command, Frank Wild, and ship's captain Frank Worsley, Shackleton decided to attempt to reach the whaling stations of South Georgia, to the north-east. This would mean a longer boat journey of 700 nautical miles (1,300 km; 810 mi) across the Southern Ocean, in conditions of rapidly approaching winter, but with the help of following winds it appeared feasible. Shackleton thought that "a boat party might make the voyage and be back with relief within a month, provided that the sea was clear of ice, and the boat survive the great seas".[11]

Preparations

 
General route of the James Caird to Elephant Island and to South Georgia

The South Georgia boat party could expect to meet hurricane-force winds and waves—the notorious Cape Horn Rollers—measuring from trough to crest as much as 18 m (60 ft).[15] Shackleton therefore selected the heaviest and strongest of the three boats, the 22.5-foot (6.9 m) long James Caird.[16] It had been built as a whaleboat in London to Worsley's orders,[17] designed on the "double-ended" tradition.[18] Knowing that a heavily laden open sea voyage was now unavoidable, Shackleton had already asked the expedition's carpenter, Harry McNish to modify the boats during the weeks the expedition spent at Patience Camp. Using material taken from Endurance's fourth boat, a small motor launch which had been broken up with this purpose in mind before the ship's final loss, McNish had raised the sides of the James Caird and the Dudley Docker by 8–10 inches (20–25 cm). Now in the primitive camp on Elephant Island, McNish was again asked if he could make the James Caird more seaworthy.[19] Using improvised tools and materials, McNish built a makeshift deck of wood and canvas, sealing his work with oil paints, lamp wick and seal blood.[20] The craft was strengthened by having the mast of the Dudley Docker lashed inside, along the length of her keel. She was then fitted as a ketch, with her own mainmast and a mizzenmast made by cutting down the mainmast from the Stancomb-Wills, rigged to carry lug sails and a jib.[21] The weight of the boat was increased by the addition of approximately 1 long ton (1 tonne) of ballast, to lessen the risk of capsizing in the high seas that Shackleton knew they would encounter.[21] Worsley believed that too much extra ballast (formed from rocks, stones and shingle taken from the beach) was added, making the boat excessively heavy, giving an extremely uncomfortable 'stiff' motion and hampering the performance for sailing upwind or into the weather. However he acknowledged that Shackleton's biggest concern was preventing the boat capsizing during the open-ocean crossing.[22]

The boat was loaded with provisions to last six men one month; as Shackleton later wrote, "if we did not make South Georgia in that time we were sure to go under".[19] They took ration packs that had been intended for the transcontinental crossing, biscuits, Bovril, sugar and dried milk. They also took two 18-gallon (68-litre) casks of water (one of which was damaged during the loading and let in sea water), two Primus stoves, paraffin, oil, candles, sleeping bags and odd items of spare clothing.[19]

Shackleton's first choices for the boat's crew were Worsley and Tom Crean, who had apparently "begged to go".[19] Crean was a shipmate from the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and had also been with Scott's Terra Nova Expedition in 1910–13, where he had distinguished himself on the fatal polar march.[23] Shackleton was confident that Crean would persevere to the bitter end,[21] and had great faith in Worsley's skills as a navigator, especially his ability to work out positions in difficult circumstances.[19] Worsley later wrote: "We knew it would be the hardest thing we had ever undertaken, for the Antarctic winter had set in, and we were about to cross one of the worst seas in the world".[24]

For the remaining places Shackleton requested volunteers, and of the many who came forward he chose two strong sailors in John Vincent and Timothy McCarthy. He offered the final place to the carpenter, McNish. "He was over fifty years of age", wrote Shackleton of McNish (he was in fact 41), "but he had a good knowledge of sailing boats and was very quick".[19] Vincent and McNish had each proved their worth during the difficult boat journey from the ice to Elephant Island.[21] They were both somewhat awkward characters, and their selection may have reflected Shackleton's wish to keep potential troublemakers under his personal charge rather than leaving them on the island where personal animosities could fester.[21]

Open-boat journey

 
Elephant Island party waving goodbye to sailors on the James Caird, 24 April 1916[a]

Before leaving, Shackleton instructed Frank Wild that he was to assume full command as soon as the James Caird departed,[30] and that should the journey fail, he was to attempt to take the party to Deception Island the following spring.[19] The James Caird was launched from Elephant Island on 24 April 1916. The wind was a moderate south-westerly, which aided a swift getaway, and the boat was quickly out of sight of the land.[31]

Shackleton ordered Worsley to set a course due north, instead of directly for South Georgia, to get clear of the menacing ice-fields that were beginning to form.[32] By midnight they had left the immediate ice behind, but the sea swell was rising. At dawn the next day, they were 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) from Elephant Island, sailing in heavy seas and force 9 winds.[32] Shackleton established an on-board routine: two three-man watches, with one man at the helm, another at the sails, and the third on bailing duty.[32] The off-watch trio rested in the tiny covered space in the bows. The difficulties of exchanging places as each watch ended would, Shackleton wrote, "have had its humorous side if it had not involved us in so many aches and pains".[33] Their clothing was designed for Antarctic sledging rather than open-boat sailing. It was not waterproof, and contact with the icy seawater left their skins painfully raw.[34]

Success depended on Worsley's navigation, which was based on brief sightings of the sun as the boat pitched and rolled.[34] The first observation was made after two days, and showed them to be 128 nautical miles (237 km; 147 mi) north of Elephant Island.[32] The course was changed to head directly for South Georgia.[32] They were clear of floating ice but had reached the dangerous seas of the Drake Passage, where giant waves sweep round the globe, unimpeded by any land.[34] The movement of the ship made preparing hot food on the Primus nearly impossible, but Crean, who acted as cook, somehow kept the men fed.[32]

The next observation, on 29 April, showed that they had travelled 238 nautical miles (441 km; 274 mi).[35] Thereafter, navigation became, in Worsley's words, "a merry jest of guesswork",[36] as they encountered the worst of the weather. The James Caird was taking on water in heavy seas and in danger of sinking, kept afloat by continuous bailing. The temperature fell sharply, and a new danger presented itself in the accumulations of frozen spray, which threatened to capsize the boat.[37] In turns, they had to crawl out on to the pitching deck with an axe and chip away the ice from deck and rigging.[34] For 48 hours they were stopped, held by a sea anchor, until the wind dropped sufficiently for them to raise sail and proceed. Despite their travails, Worsley's third observation, on 4 May, put them only 250 nautical miles (460 km; 290 mi) from South Georgia.[38]

On 5 May the worst of the weather returned, and brought them close to disaster in the largest seas so far. Shackleton later wrote: "We felt our boat lifted and flung forward like a cork in breaking surf".[39] The crew bailed frantically to keep afloat. Nevertheless, they were still moving towards their goal, and a dead reckoning calculation by Worsley on the next day, 6 May, suggested that they were now 115 nautical miles (213 km; 132 mi) from the western point of South Georgia.[39] The strains of the past two weeks were by now taking their toll on the men. Shackleton observed that Vincent had collapsed and ceased to be an active member of the crew, McCarthy was "weak, but happy", McNish was weakening but still showing "grit and spirit".[39]

 
Depiction of the James Caird nearing South Georgia (from Shackleton's expedition account, South)

On 7 May Worsley advised Shackleton that he could not be sure of their position within ten miles.[40] To avoid the possibility of being swept past the island by the fierce south-westerly winds, Shackleton ordered a slight change of course so that the James Caird would reach land on the uninhabited south-west coast. They would then try to work the boat round to the whaling stations on the northern side of the island.[39] "Things were bad for us in those days", wrote Shackleton. "The bright moments were those when we each received our one mug of hot milk during the long, bitter watches of the night".[39] Late on the same day floating seaweed was spotted, and the next morning there were birds, including cormorants which were known never to venture far from land.[40] Shortly after noon on 8 May came the first sighting of South Georgia.[40]

 
A depiction of the James Caird landing at South Georgia at the end of its voyage on 10 May 1916

As they approached the high cliffs of the coastline, heavy seas made immediate landing impossible. For more than 24 hours they were forced to stand clear, as the wind shifted to the north-west and quickly developed into "one of the worst hurricanes any of us had ever experienced".[39] For much of this time they were in danger of being driven on to the rocky South Georgia shore, or of being wrecked on the equally menacing Annenkov Island, five miles from the coast.[34] On 10 May, when the storm had eased slightly, Shackleton was concerned that the weaker members of his crew would not last another day, and decided that whatever the hazard they must attempt a landing. They headed for Cave Cove near the entrance to King Haakon Bay, and finally, after several attempts, made their landing there.[39] Shackleton was later to describe the boat journey as "one of supreme strife";[41] historian Caroline Alexander comments: "They could hardly have known—or cared—that in the carefully weighted judgement of authorities yet to come, the voyage of the James Caird would be ranked as one of the greatest boat journeys ever accomplished".[42]

South Georgia

 
South Georgia. King Haakon Bay, where the James Caird landed, is the large indentation at the western (upper) end of the southerly side.
 
Elephant Isle party being rescued by the tug Yelcho, which is see in the distance.

As the party recuperated, Shackleton realised that the boat was not capable of making a further voyage to reach the whaling stations, and that Vincent and McNish were unfit to travel further. He decided to move the boat to a safer location within King Haakon Bay, from which point he, Worsley and Crean would cross the island on foot, aiming for the station at Stromness.[43]

On 15 May the James Caird made a run of about 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) to a shingle beach near the head of the bay. Here the boat was beached and up-turned to provide a shelter. The location was christened "Peggotty Camp" (after Peggotty's boat-home in Charles Dickens's David Copperfield).[44] Early on 18 May Shackleton, Worsley and Crean began what would be the first confirmed land crossing of the South Georgia interior.[45] Since they had no map, they had to improvise a route across mountain ranges and glaciers. They travelled continuously for 36 hours, before reaching Stromness. Shackleton's men were, in Worsley's words, "a terrible trio of scarecrows",[46] dark with exposure, wind, frostbite and accumulated blubber soot.[47] Later that evening, 19 May, a motor-vessel (the Norwegian whale catcher Samson)[48][49][50] was despatched to King Haakon Bay to pick up McCarthy, McNish and Vincent, and the James Caird.[51] Worsley wrote that the Norwegian seamen at Stromness all "claimed the honour of helping to haul her up to the wharf", a gesture which he found "quite affecting".[52]

The advent of the southern winter and adverse ice conditions meant that it was more than three months before Shackleton was able to achieve the relief of the men at Elephant Island. His first attempt was with the British ship Southern Sky. Then the government of Uruguay loaned him a ship. While searching on the Falkland Islands he found the ship Emma for his third attempt, but the ship's engine blew. Then, finally, with the aid of the steam-tug Yelcho commanded by Luis Pardo, the entire party was brought to safety, reaching Punta Arenas in Chile on 3 September 1916.[53]

Aftermath

 
The James Caird, preserved at Dulwich College in south London

The James Caird was returned to England in 1919.[54] In 1921, Shackleton went back to Antarctica, leading the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition. On 5 January 1922, he died suddenly of a heart attack, while the expedition's ship Quest was moored at South Georgia.[55]

Later that year John Quiller Rowett, who had financed this last expedition and was a former school friend of Shackleton's from Dulwich College, South London, decided to present the James Caird to the college. It remained there until 1967, although its display building was severely damaged by bombs in 1944.

In 1967, thanks to a pupil at Dulwich College, Howard Hope, who was dismayed at the state of the boat, it was given to the care of the National Maritime Museum, and underwent restoration. It was then displayed by the museum until 1985, when it was returned to Dulwich College and placed in a new location in the North Cloister, on a bed of stones gathered from South Georgia and Aberystwyth.[56] This site has become the James Caird's permanent home, although the boat is sometimes lent to major exhibitions and has taken part in the London Boat Show and in events at Greenwich, Portsmouth, and Falmouth. It has travelled overseas to be exhibited in Washington, D.C., New York, Sydney, Australia, Wellington (Te Papa) New Zealand and Bonn, Germany.[54]

The James Caird Society was established in 1994, to "preserve the memory, honour the remarkable feats of discovery in the Antarctic, and commend the outstanding qualities of leadership associated with the name of Sir Ernest Shackleton".[57]

In 2000, German polar explorer Arved Fuchs built a detailed copy of Shackleton's boat—named James Caird II—for his replication of the voyage of Shackleton and his crew from Elephant Island to South Georgia. The James Caird II was among the first exhibitions when the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg was opened. A further replica, James Caird III, was built and purchased by the South Georgia Heritage Trust, and since 2008 has been on display at the South Georgia Museum at Grytviken.[58]

Notes and references

Footnotes

  1. ^ Hurley captioned this photograph as the rescue party arriving at Elephant Island.[25] However, Worsley captioned it as the Caird leaving;[26] the State Library of New South Wales archived it under this same description[27] and has a similar image showing the masted Caird.[28] Author Caroline Alexander wrote that the original negative viewed at the Royal Geographical Society has a hole intentionally scratched in the center to erase the Caird and leave pictured the de-masted Stancomb-Wills, which helped launch the Caird; she included a print showing a hole right of the pictured boat.[29]

Citations

  1. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 3.
  2. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 367.
  3. ^ Shackleton 1985, pp. 29–34.
  4. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 98.
  5. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 460.
  6. ^ Huntford 1985, pp. 456–457.
  7. ^ Shackleton 1985, pp. 102–106.
  8. ^ Shackleton 1985, pp. 107–116.
  9. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 469.
  10. ^ Shackleton 1985, pp. 120–143, Shackleton (p. 143) claimed it as the first landing ever on the island..
  11. ^ a b c Shackleton 1985, pp. 156–157.
  12. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 523.
  13. ^ Alexander 1998, pp. 130–32.
  14. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 119.
  15. ^ Alexander 1998, p. 132.
  16. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 149.
  17. ^ Worsley 1999, p. 37.
  18. ^ Huntford 1985, pp. 504, 525, The boat was sharp at stern and bow, to facilitate movement in either direction.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Shackleton 1985, pp. 157–162.
  20. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 525.
  21. ^ a b c d e Alexander 1998, pp. 134–135.
  22. ^ Worsley 1999, p. 40.
  23. ^ Huntford 1985, pp. 401–402.
  24. ^ Worsley 1999, quoted in Barczewski 2007, p. 105.
  25. ^ Hurley 1925, p. 278.
  26. ^ Worsley 1939, p. 94.
  27. ^ "Series 02: Slides of the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917, including expedition members, general views and the Endurance". digital.sl.nsw.gov.au. State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Series 02: Slides of the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917, including expedition members, general views and the Endurance". digital.sl.nsw.gov.au. State Library of New South Wales.
  29. ^ Alexander 1998, p. 202.
  30. ^ Alexander 1998, p. 139.
  31. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 527.
  32. ^ a b c d e f Huntford 1985, pp. 548–553.
  33. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 167.
  34. ^ a b c d e Barczewski 2007, pp. 107–109.
  35. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 555.
  36. ^ Worsley 1999, p. 88.
  37. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 557.
  38. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 560.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g Shackleton 1985, pp. 174–179.
  40. ^ a b c Alexander 1998, p. 150.
  41. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 165.
  42. ^ Alexander 1998, p. 153.
  43. ^ Shackleton 1985, pp. 185–186 and p. 191.
  44. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 191.
  45. ^ Huntford 1985, p. 571, states that Norwegian skiers had "probably" crossed at various points, but these journeys were not recorded.
  46. ^ Quoted by Huntford 1985, p. 597.
  47. ^ Huntford 1985, pp. 597–598.
  48. ^ "Exploring the explorer – Traces of Ernest Shackleton". libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/edinburghuniversityarchives. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  49. ^ "The voyage of the 'James Caird'". shackletonlegacy.com. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  50. ^ "Tom Crean, an Irish Antarctic explorer". tomcreandiscovery.com. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  51. ^ Shackleton 1985, p. 208.
  52. ^ Worsley 1999, quoted in Huntford 1985, p. 602.
  53. ^ Shackleton 1985, pp. 210–222.
  54. ^ a b "The James Caird Society". James Caird Society. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  55. ^ Huntford 1985, pp. 689–690.
  56. ^ . Dulwich College. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  57. ^ "The James Caird". Dulwich College. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  58. ^ Davidson, Elsa (April 2009). (PDF). South Georgia Association Newsletter. Huntingdon. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.

Bibliography


May 10, 2023
voyage, james, caird, voyage, james, caird, journey, kilometres, from, elephant, island, south, shetland, islands, through, southern, ocean, south, georgia, undertaken, ernest, shackleton, five, companions, obtain, rescue, main, body, stranded, imperial, trans. The voyage of the James Caird was a journey of 1 300 kilometres 800 mi from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands through the Southern Ocean to South Georgia undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions to obtain rescue for the main body of the stranded Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition of 1914 1917 Many historians regard the voyage of the crew in a 22 5 foot 6 9 m ship s boat through the Furious Fifties as the greatest small boat journey ever completed Launching the James Caird from the shore of Elephant Island 24 April 1916 In October 1915 pack ice in the Weddell Sea had sunk the main expedition ship Endurance leaving Shackleton and his 27 companions adrift on a floe They drifted northward until April 1916 when the floe on which they were camped broke up they made their way in the ship s boats to Elephant Island Shackleton decided to sail one of the boats with a small crew to South Georgia to seek help It was not the closest human settlement but the only one that did not require them to sail into the prevailing westerlies Of the three boats the James Caird was deemed the most likely to survive the journey Shackleton had named it after Sir James Key Caird a Dundee philanthropist whose sponsorship had helped finance the expedition Before its voyage the ship s carpenter Harry McNish strengthened and adapted the boat to withstand the seas of the Southern Ocean sealing his makeshift wood and canvas deck with lamp wick oil paint and seal blood After surviving a series of dangers including a near capsizing the small crew and boat reached the southern coast of South Georgia after a 17 day voyage Shackleton Tom Crean and Frank Worsley crossed the island s mountains to a whaling station on the north side Here they organised the relief of three men left on the south side of the island and of the larger Elephant Island party Ultimately the entire Endurance crew returned home without loss of life After the First World War in 1919 the James Caird was moved from South Georgia to England Since 1922 it has been on regular display at Shackleton s alma mater school Dulwich College Contents 1 Background 2 Elephant Island 3 Preparations 4 Open boat journey 5 South Georgia 6 Aftermath 7 Notes and references 7 1 Footnotes 7 2 Citations 7 3 BibliographyBackground Edit Endurance listing at a steep angle shortly before being crushed by the ice October 1915 photograph by Frank Hurley On 5 December 1914 Shackleton s expedition traveled via the ship Endurance from South Georgia for the Weddell Sea on the first stage of the Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition 1 They were making for Vahsel Bay the southernmost explored point of the Weddell Sea at 77 49 S where a shore party was to land and prepare for a transcontinental crossing of Antarctica 2 Before reaching its destination the ship became trapped in pack ice and by 14 February 1915 was held fast despite prolonged efforts to free her 3 During the following eight months the crew stayed with the ship as she drifted northward in the ice until on 27 October she was crushed by the pack s pressure finally sinking on 21 November 4 As his 27 man crew set up camp on the slowly moving ice Shackleton s focus shifted to how best to save his party 5 His first plan was to march across the ice to the nearest land and try to reach a point that ships were known to visit 6 The march began but progress was hampered by the nature of the ice s surface later described by Shackleton as soft much broken up open leads intersecting the floes at all angles 7 After struggling to make headway over several days they abandoned the march the party established Patience Camp on a flat ice floe and waited as the drift carried them further north towards open water 8 They had managed to salvage the three boats which Shackleton had named after the principal backers of the expedition Stancomb Wills Dudley Docker and James Caird 9 The party waited until 8 April 1916 when they finally took to the boats as the ice started to break up Over a perilous period of seven days they sailed and rowed through stormy seas and dangerous loose ice to reach the temporary haven of Elephant Island on 15 April 10 Elephant Island Edit Shackleton s party arriving at Elephant Island April 1916 after the loss of Endurance Elephant Island on the eastern limits of the South Shetland Islands was remote from anywhere that the expedition had planned to go and far beyond normal shipping routes No relief ship would search for them there and the likelihood of rescue from any other outside agency was equally negligible 11 The island was bleak and inhospitable and its terrain devoid of vegetation although it had fresh water and a relative abundance of seals and penguins to provide food and fuel for immediate survival 12 The rigours of an Antarctic winter were fast approaching the narrow shingle beach where they were camped was already being swept by almost continuous gales and blizzards which destroyed one of the tents in their temporary camp and knocked others flat The pressures and hardships of the previous months were beginning to tell on the men many of whom were in a run down state both mentally and physically 13 In these conditions Shackleton decided to try to reach help using one of the boats The nearest port was Stanley in the Falkland Islands 570 nautical miles 1 100 km 660 mi away but made unreachable by the prevailing westerly winds 11 A better option was to head for Deception Island 200 nautical miles 370 km 230 mi away at the western end of the South Shetland chain Although it was uninhabited Admiralty records indicated that this island held stores for shipwrecked mariners and was also visited from time to time by whalers 14 However reaching it would also involve a journey against the prevailing winds though in less open seas with ultimately no certainty when or if rescue would arrive After discussions with the expedition s second in command Frank Wild and ship s captain Frank Worsley Shackleton decided to attempt to reach the whaling stations of South Georgia to the north east This would mean a longer boat journey of 700 nautical miles 1 300 km 810 mi across the Southern Ocean in conditions of rapidly approaching winter but with the help of following winds it appeared feasible Shackleton thought that a boat party might make the voyage and be back with relief within a month provided that the sea was clear of ice and the boat survive the great seas 11 Preparations Edit General route of the James Caird to Elephant Island and to South Georgia The South Georgia boat party could expect to meet hurricane force winds and waves the notorious Cape Horn Rollers measuring from trough to crest as much as 18 m 60 ft 15 Shackleton therefore selected the heaviest and strongest of the three boats the 22 5 foot 6 9 m long James Caird 16 It had been built as a whaleboat in London to Worsley s orders 17 designed on the double ended tradition 18 Knowing that a heavily laden open sea voyage was now unavoidable Shackleton had already asked the expedition s carpenter Harry McNish to modify the boats during the weeks the expedition spent at Patience Camp Using material taken from Endurance s fourth boat a small motor launch which had been broken up with this purpose in mind before the ship s final loss McNish had raised the sides of the James Caird and the Dudley Docker by 8 10 inches 20 25 cm Now in the primitive camp on Elephant Island McNish was again asked if he could make the James Caird more seaworthy 19 Using improvised tools and materials McNish built a makeshift deck of wood and canvas sealing his work with oil paints lamp wick and seal blood 20 The craft was strengthened by having the mast of the Dudley Docker lashed inside along the length of her keel She was then fitted as a ketch with her own mainmast and a mizzenmast made by cutting down the mainmast from the Stancomb Wills rigged to carry lug sails and a jib 21 The weight of the boat was increased by the addition of approximately 1 long ton 1 tonne of ballast to lessen the risk of capsizing in the high seas that Shackleton knew they would encounter 21 Worsley believed that too much extra ballast formed from rocks stones and shingle taken from the beach was added making the boat excessively heavy giving an extremely uncomfortable stiff motion and hampering the performance for sailing upwind or into the weather However he acknowledged that Shackleton s biggest concern was preventing the boat capsizing during the open ocean crossing 22 The boat was loaded with provisions to last six men one month as Shackleton later wrote if we did not make South Georgia in that time we were sure to go under 19 They took ration packs that had been intended for the transcontinental crossing biscuits Bovril sugar and dried milk They also took two 18 gallon 68 litre casks of water one of which was damaged during the loading and let in sea water two Primus stoves paraffin oil candles sleeping bags and odd items of spare clothing 19 Shackleton s first choices for the boat s crew were Worsley and Tom Crean who had apparently begged to go 19 Crean was a shipmate from the Discovery Expedition 1901 04 and had also been with Scott s Terra Nova Expedition in 1910 13 where he had distinguished himself on the fatal polar march 23 Shackleton was confident that Crean would persevere to the bitter end 21 and had great faith in Worsley s skills as a navigator especially his ability to work out positions in difficult circumstances 19 Worsley later wrote We knew it would be the hardest thing we had ever undertaken for the Antarctic winter had set in and we were about to cross one of the worst seas in the world 24 For the remaining places Shackleton requested volunteers and of the many who came forward he chose two strong sailors in John Vincent and Timothy McCarthy He offered the final place to the carpenter McNish He was over fifty years of age wrote Shackleton of McNish he was in fact 41 but he had a good knowledge of sailing boats and was very quick 19 Vincent and McNish had each proved their worth during the difficult boat journey from the ice to Elephant Island 21 They were both somewhat awkward characters and their selection may have reflected Shackleton s wish to keep potential troublemakers under his personal charge rather than leaving them on the island where personal animosities could fester 21 Open boat journey Edit Elephant Island party waving goodbye to sailors on the James Caird 24 April 1916 a Before leaving Shackleton instructed Frank Wild that he was to assume full command as soon as the James Caird departed 30 and that should the journey fail he was to attempt to take the party to Deception Island the following spring 19 The James Caird was launched from Elephant Island on 24 April 1916 The wind was a moderate south westerly which aided a swift getaway and the boat was quickly out of sight of the land 31 Shackleton ordered Worsley to set a course due north instead of directly for South Georgia to get clear of the menacing ice fields that were beginning to form 32 By midnight they had left the immediate ice behind but the sea swell was rising At dawn the next day they were 45 nautical miles 83 km 52 mi from Elephant Island sailing in heavy seas and force 9 winds 32 Shackleton established an on board routine two three man watches with one man at the helm another at the sails and the third on bailing duty 32 The off watch trio rested in the tiny covered space in the bows The difficulties of exchanging places as each watch ended would Shackleton wrote have had its humorous side if it had not involved us in so many aches and pains 33 Their clothing was designed for Antarctic sledging rather than open boat sailing It was not waterproof and contact with the icy seawater left their skins painfully raw 34 Success depended on Worsley s navigation which was based on brief sightings of the sun as the boat pitched and rolled 34 The first observation was made after two days and showed them to be 128 nautical miles 237 km 147 mi north of Elephant Island 32 The course was changed to head directly for South Georgia 32 They were clear of floating ice but had reached the dangerous seas of the Drake Passage where giant waves sweep round the globe unimpeded by any land 34 The movement of the ship made preparing hot food on the Primus nearly impossible but Crean who acted as cook somehow kept the men fed 32 The next observation on 29 April showed that they had travelled 238 nautical miles 441 km 274 mi 35 Thereafter navigation became in Worsley s words a merry jest of guesswork 36 as they encountered the worst of the weather The James Caird was taking on water in heavy seas and in danger of sinking kept afloat by continuous bailing The temperature fell sharply and a new danger presented itself in the accumulations of frozen spray which threatened to capsize the boat 37 In turns they had to crawl out on to the pitching deck with an axe and chip away the ice from deck and rigging 34 For 48 hours they were stopped held by a sea anchor until the wind dropped sufficiently for them to raise sail and proceed Despite their travails Worsley s third observation on 4 May put them only 250 nautical miles 460 km 290 mi from South Georgia 38 On 5 May the worst of the weather returned and brought them close to disaster in the largest seas so far Shackleton later wrote We felt our boat lifted and flung forward like a cork in breaking surf 39 The crew bailed frantically to keep afloat Nevertheless they were still moving towards their goal and a dead reckoning calculation by Worsley on the next day 6 May suggested that they were now 115 nautical miles 213 km 132 mi from the western point of South Georgia 39 The strains of the past two weeks were by now taking their toll on the men Shackleton observed that Vincent had collapsed and ceased to be an active member of the crew McCarthy was weak but happy McNish was weakening but still showing grit and spirit 39 Depiction of the James Caird nearing South Georgia from Shackleton s expedition account South On 7 May Worsley advised Shackleton that he could not be sure of their position within ten miles 40 To avoid the possibility of being swept past the island by the fierce south westerly winds Shackleton ordered a slight change of course so that the James Caird would reach land on the uninhabited south west coast They would then try to work the boat round to the whaling stations on the northern side of the island 39 Things were bad for us in those days wrote Shackleton The bright moments were those when we each received our one mug of hot milk during the long bitter watches of the night 39 Late on the same day floating seaweed was spotted and the next morning there were birds including cormorants which were known never to venture far from land 40 Shortly after noon on 8 May came the first sighting of South Georgia 40 A depiction of the James Caird landing at South Georgia at the end of its voyage on 10 May 1916 As they approached the high cliffs of the coastline heavy seas made immediate landing impossible For more than 24 hours they were forced to stand clear as the wind shifted to the north west and quickly developed into one of the worst hurricanes any of us had ever experienced 39 For much of this time they were in danger of being driven on to the rocky South Georgia shore or of being wrecked on the equally menacing Annenkov Island five miles from the coast 34 On 10 May when the storm had eased slightly Shackleton was concerned that the weaker members of his crew would not last another day and decided that whatever the hazard they must attempt a landing They headed for Cave Cove near the entrance to King Haakon Bay and finally after several attempts made their landing there 39 Shackleton was later to describe the boat journey as one of supreme strife 41 historian Caroline Alexander comments They could hardly have known or cared that in the carefully weighted judgement of authorities yet to come the voyage of the James Caird would be ranked as one of the greatest boat journeys ever accomplished 42 South Georgia Edit South Georgia King Haakon Bay where the James Caird landed is the large indentation at the western upper end of the southerly side Elephant Isle party being rescued by the tug Yelcho which is see in the distance As the party recuperated Shackleton realised that the boat was not capable of making a further voyage to reach the whaling stations and that Vincent and McNish were unfit to travel further He decided to move the boat to a safer location within King Haakon Bay from which point he Worsley and Crean would cross the island on foot aiming for the station at Stromness 43 On 15 May the James Caird made a run of about 6 nautical miles 11 km 6 9 mi to a shingle beach near the head of the bay Here the boat was beached and up turned to provide a shelter The location was christened Peggotty Camp after Peggotty s boat home in Charles Dickens s David Copperfield 44 Early on 18 May Shackleton Worsley and Crean began what would be the first confirmed land crossing of the South Georgia interior 45 Since they had no map they had to improvise a route across mountain ranges and glaciers They travelled continuously for 36 hours before reaching Stromness Shackleton s men were in Worsley s words a terrible trio of scarecrows 46 dark with exposure wind frostbite and accumulated blubber soot 47 Later that evening 19 May a motor vessel the Norwegian whale catcher Samson 48 49 50 was despatched to King Haakon Bay to pick up McCarthy McNish and Vincent and the James Caird 51 Worsley wrote that the Norwegian seamen at Stromness all claimed the honour of helping to haul her up to the wharf a gesture which he found quite affecting 52 The advent of the southern winter and adverse ice conditions meant that it was more than three months before Shackleton was able to achieve the relief of the men at Elephant Island His first attempt was with the British ship Southern Sky Then the government of Uruguay loaned him a ship While searching on the Falkland Islands he found the ship Emma for his third attempt but the ship s engine blew Then finally with the aid of the steam tug Yelcho commanded by Luis Pardo the entire party was brought to safety reaching Punta Arenas in Chile on 3 September 1916 53 Aftermath Edit The James Caird preserved at Dulwich College in south London The James Caird was returned to England in 1919 54 In 1921 Shackleton went back to Antarctica leading the Shackleton Rowett Expedition On 5 January 1922 he died suddenly of a heart attack while the expedition s ship Quest was moored at South Georgia 55 Later that year John Quiller Rowett who had financed this last expedition and was a former school friend of Shackleton s from Dulwich College South London decided to present the James Caird to the college It remained there until 1967 although its display building was severely damaged by bombs in 1944 In 1967 thanks to a pupil at Dulwich College Howard Hope who was dismayed at the state of the boat it was given to the care of the National Maritime Museum and underwent restoration It was then displayed by the museum until 1985 when it was returned to Dulwich College and placed in a new location in the North Cloister on a bed of stones gathered from South Georgia and Aberystwyth 56 This site has become the James Caird s permanent home although the boat is sometimes lent to major exhibitions and has taken part in the London Boat Show and in events at Greenwich Portsmouth and Falmouth It has travelled overseas to be exhibited in Washington D C New York Sydney Australia Wellington Te Papa New Zealand and Bonn Germany 54 The James Caird Society was established in 1994 to preserve the memory honour the remarkable feats of discovery in the Antarctic and commend the outstanding qualities of leadership associated with the name of Sir Ernest Shackleton 57 In 2000 German polar explorer Arved Fuchs built a detailed copy of Shackleton s boat named James Caird II for his replication of the voyage of Shackleton and his crew from Elephant Island to South Georgia The James Caird II was among the first exhibitions when the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg was opened A further replica James Caird III was built and purchased by the South Georgia Heritage Trust and since 2008 has been on display at the South Georgia Museum at Grytviken 58 Notes and references EditFootnotes Edit Hurley captioned this photograph as the rescue party arriving at Elephant Island 25 However Worsley captioned it as the Caird leaving 26 the State Library of New South Wales archived it under this same description 27 and has a similar image showing the masted Caird 28 Author Caroline Alexander wrote that the original negative viewed at the Royal Geographical Society has a hole intentionally scratched in the center to erase the Caird and leave pictured the de masted Stancomb Wills which helped launch the Caird she included a print showing a hole right of the pictured boat 29 Citations Edit Shackleton 1985 p 3 Huntford 1985 p 367 Shackleton 1985 pp 29 34 Shackleton 1985 p 98 Huntford 1985 p 460 Huntford 1985 pp 456 457 Shackleton 1985 pp 102 106 Shackleton 1985 pp 107 116 Huntford 1985 p 469 Shackleton 1985 pp 120 143 Shackleton p 143 claimed it as the first landing ever on the island a b c Shackleton 1985 pp 156 157 Huntford 1985 p 523 Alexander 1998 pp 130 32 Shackleton 1985 p 119 Alexander 1998 p 132 Shackleton 1985 p 149 Worsley 1999 p 37 Huntford 1985 pp 504 525 The boat was sharp at stern and bow to facilitate movement in either direction a b c d e f g Shackleton 1985 pp 157 162 Huntford 1985 p 525 a b c d e Alexander 1998 pp 134 135 Worsley 1999 p 40 Huntford 1985 pp 401 402 Worsley 1999 quoted in Barczewski 2007 p 105 Hurley 1925 p 278 Worsley 1939 p 94 Series 02 Slides of the British Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition 1914 1917 including expedition members general views and the Endurance digital sl nsw gov au State Library of New South Wales Retrieved 17 March 2022 Series 02 Slides of the British Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition 1914 1917 including expedition members general views and the Endurance digital sl nsw gov au State Library of New South Wales Alexander 1998 p 202 Alexander 1998 p 139 Huntford 1985 p 527 a b c d e f Huntford 1985 pp 548 553 Shackleton 1985 p 167 a b c d e Barczewski 2007 pp 107 109 Huntford 1985 p 555 Worsley 1999 p 88 Huntford 1985 p 557 Huntford 1985 p 560 a b c d e f g Shackleton 1985 pp 174 179 a b c Alexander 1998 p 150 Shackleton 1985 p 165 Alexander 1998 p 153 Shackleton 1985 pp 185 186 and p 191 Shackleton 1985 p 191 Huntford 1985 p 571 states that Norwegian skiers had probably crossed at various points but these journeys were not recorded Quoted by Huntford 1985 p 597 Huntford 1985 pp 597 598 Exploring the explorer Traces of Ernest Shackleton libraryblogs is ed ac uk edinburghuniversityarchives Retrieved 17 May 2018 The voyage of the James Caird shackletonlegacy com Retrieved 17 May 2018 Tom Crean an Irish Antarctic explorer tomcreandiscovery com Retrieved 17 May 2018 Shackleton 1985 p 208 Worsley 1999 quoted in Huntford 1985 p 602 Shackleton 1985 pp 210 222 a b The James Caird Society James Caird Society Retrieved 19 August 2008 Huntford 1985 pp 689 690 Eminent Old Alleynians Sir Ernest Shackleton Dulwich College Archived from the original on 22 June 2013 Retrieved 23 August 2008 The James Caird Dulwich College Retrieved 19 August 2008 Davidson Elsa April 2009 The Carr Maritime Gallery South Georgia Museum PDF South Georgia Association Newsletter Huntingdon p 5 Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 5 December 2016 Bibliography Edit Alexander C 1998 The Endurance Shackleton s legendary Antarctic expedition London Bloomsbury ISBN 9780747541233 Barczewski S 2007 Antarctic Destinies London Hambledon Continuum ISBN 9781847251923 Huntford R 1985 Shackleton London Hodder amp Stoughton ISBN 9780340250075 Hurley F 1925 Argonauts of the South London Butler amp Tanner Shackleton E 1985 South The story of Shackleton s 1914 17 expedition London Century Publishing ISBN 9780712601115 Worsley F A 1939 1931 Endurance An Epic of Polar Adventure London Butler amp Tanner Worsley F A 1999 Shackleton s Boat Journey London W W Norton ISBN 9780712665742 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Voyage of the James Caird amp oldid 1154116964, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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