Wreck of famed Shackleton’s last expedition ship ‘Quest’ found underwater off Canada’s coast

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton's last ship, Quest, has been discovered off Canada’s coast, 62 years after it vanished, according to an announcement on Shackleton’s website in early June.

The ship was found using sonar scans by a team led by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and lies 390 meters underwater, with its mast broken beside it, likely due to striking ice. On May 5, 1962, Quest hit the ice and sank to the bottom of the sea off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.

Director of Search David Mearns, who is one of the leading shipwreck hunters, could “definitively confirm” the shipwreck found was Shackleton’s Quest, according to the announcement. Mearns explained that “data from high-resolution side scan sonar imagery corresponds exactly with the known dimensions and structural features of this special ship.” He further added that the wreck is “consistent with events at the time of the sinking.”

The research team examined historic logs and maps, cross-referencing the data with modern technology to locate the ship and complete Shackleton's physical legacy.

Hon. Alexandra Shackleton, Sir Ernest’s granddaughter and expedition co-patron, expressed her happiness, calling it her "dream" come true, especially significant in the year marking Shackleton's 150th birth anniversary, according to Shackleton’s website.

Antarctic legacy and future study plans

“I heard that some Americans were interested in finding Quest, and I just had this picture in my mind of a few billionaires on yachts, up in the Labrador Sea,” Associated Press cited John Geiger as saying, who was the leader of the Shackleton Quest Expedition and the chief executive of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Shackleton's death aboard the Quest in 1922 marked the end of the "heroic age" of Antarctic exploration, AP reported two weeks ago. Shackleton led three British Antarctic expeditions and was beginning a fourth when he died of a heart attack at 47.

The Norwegian-built Quest - a schooner-rigged steamship - was initially bought for a Canadian Arctic expedition, Geigar stated. However, that expedition was later canceled. Instead, Shackleton set sail for the Antarctic, dying near South Georgia in the South Atlantic.

Despite the amazing find, Geiger emphasized that the ship would not be brought to the surface, though it would go through an in-depth examination for further study, suggesting that a team would begin documenting the vessel remains as early as the end of summer.

Who was Sir Ernest Shackleton?

Britannica describes Shackleton as an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who was known for his attempts to reach the South Pole. Educated at Dulwich College, Shackleton joined the mercantile marine service in 1890 and later served in the Royal Naval Reserve.

He participated in Capt. Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition, and led the British Antarctic Expedition called Nimrod, coming within 97 nautical miles of the South Pole. For his success, Shackleton was knighted upon his return to England.

In 1914, he led the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, intending to cross Antarctica, but ended when the ship was trapped in ice before getting crushed. Despite the ice, Endurance’s crew survived the ordeal and managed to escape on boats to Elephant Island.

Shackleton served in the British army during World War I and later as a military advisor. He launched the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition in 1921 but died at the beginning of the expedition in Grytviken, South Georgia, likely due to the cumulative strain of his previous expeditions and efforts to secure funding.