What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton's Endurance
"As thrilling as any tale from the heroic age of exploration. ... Bound’s account is a triumph. The storytelling is piano-wire taut, the writing saturated with polar moodiness." ― Sunday Times The inside story of how the Endurance , Ernest Shackleton's legendary lost ship, was found in the most hostile sea on Earth, told by the expedition's Director of Exploration. On November 21, 1914, after sailing more than ten thousand miles from Norway to the Antarctic Ocean, the Endurance finally succumbed to the surrounding ice. Ernest Shackleton and his crew had navigated the 144-foot, three-masted wooden vessel to Antarctica to become the first to cross the barren continent, but early season pack ice trapped them in place offshore. They watched in silence as the ship’s stern rose twenty feet in the air and disappeared into the frigid sea, then spent six harrowing months marooned on the ice in its wake. Seal meat was their only sustenance as Shackleton’s expedition to push the limits of human strength took a new one of survival against the odds. As this legendary story entered the annals of polar exploration, it inspired a new global race to find the wrecked Endurance , by all accounts “the world’s most unreachable shipwreck.” Several missions failed, thwarted, as Shackleton was, by the unpredictable Weddell Sea. Finally, a century to the day after Shackleton’s death, renowned marine archeologist Mensun Bound and an elite team of explorers discovered the lost shipwreck. Nearly ten thousand feet below the ice lay a remarkably preserved Endurance , its name still emblazoned on the ship’s stern. The Ship Beneath the Ice chronicles two dramatic expeditions to what Shackleton called “the most hostile sea on Earth.” Bound experienced failure and despair in his attempts to locate the wreck, and, like Shackleton before him, very nearly found his vessel frozen in ice. Complete with captivating photos from the 1914 expedition and of the wreck as Bound and his team found it, this inspiring modern-day adventure narrative captures the intrepid spirit that joins two mariners across the centuries—both of whom accomplished the impossible.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
April 28, 2023
I've never been invited to join an expedition. I think the expedition-inviters spy on possible invitees and thus I will never be asked to go on an expedition. Why?
The followingconversation monologue is from yesterday's walk with my partner, at 48° (9°C) and sunny:
Beginning of walk:
Jenna: Oh my god I'm freezing. I should have worn a coat, I knew I should have worn a coat. Or at least gloves and a scarf. Why didn't you tell me to wear gloves and a scarf?
S: 😐
J: Man, it is cold, I hate the wind. Why does the wind have to blow so much? Can't it stop blowing while we're on our walk. I'm freezing. Aren't you freezing?
S: 😐
J: Oh, look! There's a goose. I wonder why it's by itself. I hope it's not hurt and can't fly with the others. I bet it's cold. I'm cold. This sucks, this stupid wind, I hate it.
3.5 minutes later:
J: Wow, I'm getting hot. That sun is hot.
S: 😐
J (Unzipping jacket): Whew, it's really hot out here. I wish the wind would blow.
30 seconds later:
J (Rolling up sleeves and flapping bottom of shirt): Oh my god it's so hot, that sun is freaking hot. I'm suffocating, aren't you suffocating with your jacket on?
S: 😐
J: I hate the sun, I really hate the sun. Why does it have to be so hot, why can't there be clouds until we're done. It's too hot.
J (ripping off jacket and rolling up pant legs): I wish I was on the treadmill. It's too hot out here and I'm sweating and there are bugs and this really sucks. Aren't you hot yet? I don't know how you're not hot. I'm stifling. I can't stand this. I hate the sun. Oh my god I'm going to scream I'm sweating so bad.
S: 😐
J: I have to pee.
S: 🤦♀️
Poor S. I don't know how she puts up with me. She's got perseverance. She might get invited on an expedition.
The only way I can enjoy one is through books, and really, that's the only way I want to enjoy one: while sitting on a comfortable couch in my nice temperature-controlled home, with a warm cup of tea or cold cup of fizzy water.
And that is exactly how I enjoyed the expedition to find Shackleton's sunken ship Endurance.
The author, Mensun Bound, led a couple of trips to find the missing ship in the frozen waters of the Weddell Sea, what Shackleton called 'the most hostile sea on Earth'.
It was exciting to follow along, and especially to read about the technology they used to hunt for it. Mr. Bound writes engagingly and intertwines the story of Shackleton's "failed" expedition to be the first to cross the Antarctic with the modern day hunt for the Endurance.
He added excerpts from the diaries of Shackleton and several of his men, and I could almost feel the cold and see the barren surroundings.
There is hunting involved and I had to skip those parts. It was necessary for the survival of Shackleton and his team, but I still didn't want to read about it.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book. There is a photo section that made it all the more real. It was exciting to see Endurance resting on the ocean floor, especially after reading how much went into finding it.
If you like tales of endurance (ha, ha), this is an interesting book. You won't find any complainers on board any of the ships, further proof that I will never get invited on any expedition.
Image: The stern of Endurance, resting on the ocean floor. Source
The following
Beginning of walk:
Jenna: Oh my god I'm freezing. I should have worn a coat, I knew I should have worn a coat. Or at least gloves and a scarf. Why didn't you tell me to wear gloves and a scarf?
S: 😐
J: Man, it is cold, I hate the wind. Why does the wind have to blow so much? Can't it stop blowing while we're on our walk. I'm freezing. Aren't you freezing?
S: 😐
J: Oh, look! There's a goose. I wonder why it's by itself. I hope it's not hurt and can't fly with the others. I bet it's cold. I'm cold. This sucks, this stupid wind, I hate it.
3.5 minutes later:
J: Wow, I'm getting hot. That sun is hot.
S: 😐
J (Unzipping jacket): Whew, it's really hot out here. I wish the wind would blow.
30 seconds later:
J (Rolling up sleeves and flapping bottom of shirt): Oh my god it's so hot, that sun is freaking hot. I'm suffocating, aren't you suffocating with your jacket on?
S: 😐
J: I hate the sun, I really hate the sun. Why does it have to be so hot, why can't there be clouds until we're done. It's too hot.
J (ripping off jacket and rolling up pant legs): I wish I was on the treadmill. It's too hot out here and I'm sweating and there are bugs and this really sucks. Aren't you hot yet? I don't know how you're not hot. I'm stifling. I can't stand this. I hate the sun. Oh my god I'm going to scream I'm sweating so bad.
S: 😐
J: I have to pee.
S: 🤦♀️
Poor S. I don't know how she puts up with me. She's got perseverance. She might get invited on an expedition.
The only way I can enjoy one is through books, and really, that's the only way I want to enjoy one: while sitting on a comfortable couch in my nice temperature-controlled home, with a warm cup of tea or cold cup of fizzy water.
And that is exactly how I enjoyed the expedition to find Shackleton's sunken ship Endurance.
The author, Mensun Bound, led a couple of trips to find the missing ship in the frozen waters of the Weddell Sea, what Shackleton called 'the most hostile sea on Earth'.
It was exciting to follow along, and especially to read about the technology they used to hunt for it. Mr. Bound writes engagingly and intertwines the story of Shackleton's "failed" expedition to be the first to cross the Antarctic with the modern day hunt for the Endurance.
He added excerpts from the diaries of Shackleton and several of his men, and I could almost feel the cold and see the barren surroundings.
There is hunting involved and I had to skip those parts. It was necessary for the survival of Shackleton and his team, but I still didn't want to read about it.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book. There is a photo section that made it all the more real. It was exciting to see Endurance resting on the ocean floor, especially after reading how much went into finding it.
If you like tales of endurance (ha, ha), this is an interesting book. You won't find any complainers on board any of the ships, further proof that I will never get invited on any expedition.
Image: The stern of Endurance, resting on the ocean floor. Source
December 28, 2022
Mensun Bound’s book tells two fascinating stories: that of Shackleton’s shipwreck and against-all-odds survival and an account of the expeditions a hundred years later to locate Shackleton’s ship, The Endurance, beneath the Weddell Sea.
In spite of the fact that we know the outcome of each - Shackleton and his entire crew miraculously survived and Endurance was found and photographed – both, in their different ways, are suspenseful tales of courage and ingenuity in a hostile environment.
The raw material for this book is wonderfully epic and, in spite of its shortcomings, it is well worth reading. It is, however, repeatedly let down by the writing.
Bound jumps from the events of 1915 to the 2019 expedition with detours via his earlier career and passages of vague environmentalism.
His account is heavy laden with acronyms:
‘Once the ROV was back at 1830 hours, CTD and coring work was conducted at Station No. 2, following which AUV 9 was launched for further tests.’
It is studded with odd metaphors: ‘We have 25 scientists on Agulhas II: the full petri dish, you might say’, and at times it reads more Mills & Boon: ‘Ray is a rough, tough, spit-in-your-eye Texan with a physique straight out of Stonehenge.’
Bound was the Director of Exploration on the expedition to locate Endurance. It is ironic that his greatest insights are from his study of the Shackleton expedition, particularly the diaries of Shackleton’s crew, rather than from the expeditions he lead to find it. At one point he writes, ‘Shackleton['s diary] is probably the most irritating of all because he, potentially, has the most to say, but he does not say it.’ That is just how I feel about Bound.
In spite of the fact that we know the outcome of each - Shackleton and his entire crew miraculously survived and Endurance was found and photographed – both, in their different ways, are suspenseful tales of courage and ingenuity in a hostile environment.
The raw material for this book is wonderfully epic and, in spite of its shortcomings, it is well worth reading. It is, however, repeatedly let down by the writing.
Bound jumps from the events of 1915 to the 2019 expedition with detours via his earlier career and passages of vague environmentalism.
His account is heavy laden with acronyms:
‘Once the ROV was back at 1830 hours, CTD and coring work was conducted at Station No. 2, following which AUV 9 was launched for further tests.’
It is studded with odd metaphors: ‘We have 25 scientists on Agulhas II: the full petri dish, you might say’, and at times it reads more Mills & Boon: ‘Ray is a rough, tough, spit-in-your-eye Texan with a physique straight out of Stonehenge.’
Bound was the Director of Exploration on the expedition to locate Endurance. It is ironic that his greatest insights are from his study of the Shackleton expedition, particularly the diaries of Shackleton’s crew, rather than from the expeditions he lead to find it. At one point he writes, ‘Shackleton['s diary] is probably the most irritating of all because he, potentially, has the most to say, but he does not say it.’ That is just how I feel about Bound.
June 7, 2024
Fascinating. This is actually two stories. The author's two attempts to find Ernest Shackleton's ship, The Endurance and Shackleton's story - one of the most amazing tales in Polar Exploration.
Shackleton left England just before to WW I began to attempt to become the first expedition to cross Antarctica, stopping at the South Pole along the way. The previous trips to the south pole had been out and back. Before he could make land fall, his ship got stuck in the ice and was eventually crushed and sank. Shackleton was able to get his men off the ice and on to an island and from there, with 4 companions undertook an 800 mile journey over some of the stormiest seas on the planet to the Falkland Islands in an open boat. When he arrived he was on the wrong side of the island, so he had to cross an imposing mountain range in the winter to get to a permanent settlement. He was successful and got all of his men out.
The author of this book was the head archaeologist of the expedition to find the Endurance on two different attempts, 2019 and2022. It written in a diary style, the chapters is one days account of the two expeditions. The author relates the problems his expeditions faced from technical, weather, just where the Endurance was, etc. While telling the search story, the author also interweaves Shackleton's story.
One point the author makes about Shackleton and his leadership is that in all his polar expeditions, Shackleton never lost a man.
I found this fascinating. Solid four stars
Shackleton left England just before to WW I began to attempt to become the first expedition to cross Antarctica, stopping at the South Pole along the way. The previous trips to the south pole had been out and back. Before he could make land fall, his ship got stuck in the ice and was eventually crushed and sank. Shackleton was able to get his men off the ice and on to an island and from there, with 4 companions undertook an 800 mile journey over some of the stormiest seas on the planet to the Falkland Islands in an open boat. When he arrived he was on the wrong side of the island, so he had to cross an imposing mountain range in the winter to get to a permanent settlement. He was successful and got all of his men out.
The author of this book was the head archaeologist of the expedition to find the Endurance on two different attempts, 2019 and2022. It written in a diary style, the chapters is one days account of the two expeditions. The author relates the problems his expeditions faced from technical, weather, just where the Endurance was, etc. While telling the search story, the author also interweaves Shackleton's story.
One point the author makes about Shackleton and his leadership is that in all his polar expeditions, Shackleton never lost a man.
I found this fascinating. Solid four stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2023
A really great read about the team that found the wreck of Shackleton's Endurance and what it took to both get there and then actually find it. While the author discusses aspects of the original voyage, I highly recommend that you read the excellent Alfred Lansing book "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" to get the full story [and the full craziness of that whole trip and the subsequent survival story] before diving into this book.
While there are parts that were pretty technical [and may or may not have made my eyes glaze over a tad], overall, it is a very good read and a perfect companion to the Alfred Lansing book. I have to admit to being pretty excited when they finally find the wreck; I cannot even imagine how cool that must have been. Well done.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mensun Bound and Mariner Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While there are parts that were pretty technical [and may or may not have made my eyes glaze over a tad], overall, it is a very good read and a perfect companion to the Alfred Lansing book. I have to admit to being pretty excited when they finally find the wreck; I cannot even imagine how cool that must have been. Well done.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mensun Bound and Mariner Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2024
i mean it was okay, but i thought it was going to be more about the shackleton expedition too and less of mensun bound's day-by-day diaries
July 30, 2023
A fascinating look at a modern voyage to the Antarctic, contending with some of the very same icy hazards and weather risks as the ship this mission was seeking, even amid climate changes. At the same time, it was tempered by boring stretches, and some of Bound's opinions and thoughts I didn't particularly care for.
March 7, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for accepting my request to read and review The Ship Beneath the Ice -- The Discovery of Shackleton's Endurance.
Published: 02/28/23
This was a miss for me, personally. I am a long-time Shackleton follower. I've read, watched, and studied Shackleton my entire adult life.
Bound told too much of Shackleton's story. The book is finding the Endurance. I see two parts, two separate entities.
If I was gifted this book, I would be happy and shelve it. However, I wouldn't pick it up for myself. After reflecting for several days, I decided I've reached a point with Shackleton where it's out with the old and in with the new. How many people will Google Endurance? Shackleton?
Published: 02/28/23
This was a miss for me, personally. I am a long-time Shackleton follower. I've read, watched, and studied Shackleton my entire adult life.
Bound told too much of Shackleton's story. The book is finding the Endurance. I see two parts, two separate entities.
If I was gifted this book, I would be happy and shelve it. However, I wouldn't pick it up for myself. After reflecting for several days, I decided I've reached a point with Shackleton where it's out with the old and in with the new. How many people will Google Endurance? Shackleton?
December 30, 2022
Fascinating account of the logic and research that went unto finding Endurance. Already fascinated by Shackletons doomed journey, I feel I have a richer understanding of the journey itself, as the author has access to material I don't, and has has read everything that I haven't got round to yet.
The rollercoaster of the modern expeditions were also thrilling to follow. Personally, I really liked the authors style which felt more like we were having a conversation. All round a most enjoyable read on a fascinating topic.
The rollercoaster of the modern expeditions were also thrilling to follow. Personally, I really liked the authors style which felt more like we were having a conversation. All round a most enjoyable read on a fascinating topic.
April 22, 2024
I have a love-hate relationship with the structure of the book. It got seriously boring at times focusing on the minutiae of daily life on the expedition: weather made things difficult, technical issues, etc. Part of me just wanted to shout "Get to the good part! Find the Endurance already!" But then another part of me appreciated the focus on the minutiae, because it gives you a real sense of what a maritime archaeological expedition is like. And it's kinda fascinating.
December 22, 2022
Would you like to read someone's diary? Ok, but what if that diary is about finding a sunken ship under the ice of Antarctica? Now I have your attention, don't I?
Mensun Bound's The Ship Beneath the Ice follows two attempts by Bound to locate Endurance. Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated ship sank over 100 years ago and there are some pretty good leads about where it is exactly. Unfortunately, it is in the most inhospitable place on Earth.
Bound writes a day by day diary of his two missions to locate Endurance. You would have to ignore a lot of news to not know how the second mission finally turned out. Bound also intersperses insight from Shackleton's famous trip into his own experiences. This method of telling a story is very effective at first. Bound is open about his own self-doubt, his challenges, and what Endurance means to him. I enjoyed having a narrator who is so candid about his feelings and fears.
Unfortunately, it starts to slow the narrative down by the end of the book. Bound is still talking about the original Endurance mission in the final chapters and it gets distracting rather than enlightening. By that point, you just want to hear about the outcome of the mission and what it means. It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but it takes a little shine off the apple.
(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Mariner Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 3/7/2023.)
Mensun Bound's The Ship Beneath the Ice follows two attempts by Bound to locate Endurance. Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated ship sank over 100 years ago and there are some pretty good leads about where it is exactly. Unfortunately, it is in the most inhospitable place on Earth.
Bound writes a day by day diary of his two missions to locate Endurance. You would have to ignore a lot of news to not know how the second mission finally turned out. Bound also intersperses insight from Shackleton's famous trip into his own experiences. This method of telling a story is very effective at first. Bound is open about his own self-doubt, his challenges, and what Endurance means to him. I enjoyed having a narrator who is so candid about his feelings and fears.
Unfortunately, it starts to slow the narrative down by the end of the book. Bound is still talking about the original Endurance mission in the final chapters and it gets distracting rather than enlightening. By that point, you just want to hear about the outcome of the mission and what it means. It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but it takes a little shine off the apple.
(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Mariner Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 3/7/2023.)
March 10, 2023
A Compelling Read
After reading The Ship Beneath The Ice, you cannot help but remember and appreciate the complex difficulty of operating in such an inhospitable part of the world and to overcome the numerous unanticipated near calamities arising from the Antarctic surroundings to, in the end, locate and film such an archeological treasure. All members of this expedition must truly be the best!!
After reading The Ship Beneath The Ice, you cannot help but remember and appreciate the complex difficulty of operating in such an inhospitable part of the world and to overcome the numerous unanticipated near calamities arising from the Antarctic surroundings to, in the end, locate and film such an archeological treasure. All members of this expedition must truly be the best!!
July 22, 2023
Outstanding literary work.
If you never thought much about shipwrecks, you will after absorbing this work of art. Thanks for sharing this, it's more than a story, it's a goal for life!
If you never thought much about shipwrecks, you will after absorbing this work of art. Thanks for sharing this, it's more than a story, it's a goal for life!
December 9, 2023
Mensun Bound has written a wonderfully gripping and engaging account of his time as the Director of Exploration in the hunt for the Endurance, Shackleton's legendary ship lost to the ice of the Weddell Sea in 1915.
We follow Bound on both the 2019 & 2022 expeditions. The former does start to feel repetitive towards the end of the mission, though that's more due to the nature of the dives than as a criticism of Bound's writing, as it consists of sending down an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), moving the ship ahead to reach it when it resurfaces a few hours later whilst receiving no real-time information on whether it has found the wreck. Thankfully, Bound's writing is varied and engaging enough to more than compensate for this slight lag, being able to pull from multiple sources into a well-balanced and engaging narrative. We have the technical aspect of the modern-day expedition and the more personal interactions between the science teams and crew, as well as the corresponding events from the Endurance expedition itself, and his history as a marine archaeologist working on other wrecks. I particularly loved the accounts of how the Endurance’s captain Frank Worsley managed to navigate to Elephant Island and then South Georgia in the most deranged conditions and Bound is able to pull from both published and unpublished diaries to really build up a sense of what things were like for the men. He also isn’t afraid to show them in a not so pleasant light, such as Shackleton refusing to recommend carpenter Chippy McNish for the Polar Medal, or the crew’s frankly horrendous treatment of Orde-Lees.
Despite the repetition, the 2019 expedition still manages to build a sense of discomfort that even with the technology and skill of the team things just keep going wrong, as whilst technical prowess of the Agulhas II and modern icebreakers are amazing, we are left in no doubt as to the dangers of the Weddell Sea. Ice closes in and almost traps them, AUVs vanish under the ice, and vehicle cables break and have to be re-tethered by other craft. The feeling is further exacerbated by asides on the effects of climate change on Antarctica, such as the loss of the Larsen B ice shelf, and the effect of the potential collapse of interoceanic currents. The 2022 expedition in contrast has a brilliant building sense of anticipation. Given the photo on the back cover it’s not a spoiler to point out that they do indeed find the Endurance, and with each pass of the underwater vessel (now thankfully sending up information in real-time) he really manages to give a sense of the anticipation and the stress as they slowly home in on the co-ordinates of the wreck, especially as Bound acknowledges that given his age this will be the last chance he gets he find the Endurance.
It isn’t all heavy stuff though, as there are still fun asides, such as popping to the shop for souvenir patches on King George Island (even in the Antarctic you can never beat a good souvenir shop), and there are plenty of characters in both the Agulhas II’s crew and the science team. Bound memorably describes the Endurance wreck as the “pre-eminent submerged tease of our times”, and old ice is described by the mate with the serious technical terms of “some pretty badass stuff”. My favourite moment has to be when the Endurance is finally found and “Jim was so overwhelmed that he almost felt the room spin around him. ‘Sexy picture’, was all he could think to say.” Clearly, a man after my own heart.
Bound’s also able to turn a moving turn of phrase. Antarctica is the kind of landscape that few of us will get to see in person, and he’s able to give a sense of the beauty of it, not just the danger.
“It seems almost as if we had trespassed into some polar hidey-hole where the gods go to drain their rainbows. Bends, spills and blushes were all draped with cloud and punctuated by silhouettes of bergs thousands of years old. Nobody said a thing.”
As well as:
“You sit there, alone in the dark with your thoughts, looking out over the bow into a vast ocean you can barely see. Your feelings swell and heave with the vessel. To me it is almost spiritual and, if ever I doff my agnosticism, I know that it will be on the bridge of a ship at night that I find my path to God.”
Where this really pays off is in the description of Shackleton’s death. I’m not one for co-incidences, but finding the Endurance a hundred years to the day of Shackleton’s burial, potentially even down to the hour, is certainly a bizarre one. On their way back to civilisation after finding the Endurance the team make a stop at South Georgia to visit his grave, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a bit at Bound’s speech to the team from the graveside:
“As I stand here beside his grave with all of you, dear friends, crew and team, it occurs to me that in all Shackleton’s expeditions into danger, which he himself led, the only life he lost was his own.”
Despite this, there are definitely a few niggles that I could point out. At the minor end, it’s a shame that there isn’t a map of the 2019/2022 expeditions, only of the path of the Endurance herself. It might be that as the movement of the Agulhas II was dependant on the leads in the ice that a map of her movement might become too much of a mess to read, as Shackleton said there are no straight lines when dealing with the ice, but as there so many mentions of islands/parts of Antarctica early in the book it would be nice to see them placed in the larger context.
On the more serious end, there’s a lack of context that caused me to bump it down to four stars. We go from Bound discussing with a friend in Café Nero how he’d like to find the Endurance, to meeting up with the robotics team, to setting off from South Africa with very little connecting tissue. The 2019 expedition was not just about finding the Endurance but also had various scientific researchers completing their own projects, but how they all came together (and often what they are doing) is also unclear. At the opposite end of the expedition there are also a lot of interesting questions about what happens to the wreck now she has been found, particularly around ownership and salvage/research that would have been nice to discuss in more detail, even if they were only hypothetical.
Nevertheless, Bound still gives a wonderful account of the discovery of the Endurance, even if he ironically wasn’t on the ship at the time, having popped off for a stroll along the ice when she was finally found!
We follow Bound on both the 2019 & 2022 expeditions. The former does start to feel repetitive towards the end of the mission, though that's more due to the nature of the dives than as a criticism of Bound's writing, as it consists of sending down an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), moving the ship ahead to reach it when it resurfaces a few hours later whilst receiving no real-time information on whether it has found the wreck. Thankfully, Bound's writing is varied and engaging enough to more than compensate for this slight lag, being able to pull from multiple sources into a well-balanced and engaging narrative. We have the technical aspect of the modern-day expedition and the more personal interactions between the science teams and crew, as well as the corresponding events from the Endurance expedition itself, and his history as a marine archaeologist working on other wrecks. I particularly loved the accounts of how the Endurance’s captain Frank Worsley managed to navigate to Elephant Island and then South Georgia in the most deranged conditions and Bound is able to pull from both published and unpublished diaries to really build up a sense of what things were like for the men. He also isn’t afraid to show them in a not so pleasant light, such as Shackleton refusing to recommend carpenter Chippy McNish for the Polar Medal, or the crew’s frankly horrendous treatment of Orde-Lees.
Despite the repetition, the 2019 expedition still manages to build a sense of discomfort that even with the technology and skill of the team things just keep going wrong, as whilst technical prowess of the Agulhas II and modern icebreakers are amazing, we are left in no doubt as to the dangers of the Weddell Sea. Ice closes in and almost traps them, AUVs vanish under the ice, and vehicle cables break and have to be re-tethered by other craft. The feeling is further exacerbated by asides on the effects of climate change on Antarctica, such as the loss of the Larsen B ice shelf, and the effect of the potential collapse of interoceanic currents. The 2022 expedition in contrast has a brilliant building sense of anticipation. Given the photo on the back cover it’s not a spoiler to point out that they do indeed find the Endurance, and with each pass of the underwater vessel (now thankfully sending up information in real-time) he really manages to give a sense of the anticipation and the stress as they slowly home in on the co-ordinates of the wreck, especially as Bound acknowledges that given his age this will be the last chance he gets he find the Endurance.
It isn’t all heavy stuff though, as there are still fun asides, such as popping to the shop for souvenir patches on King George Island (even in the Antarctic you can never beat a good souvenir shop), and there are plenty of characters in both the Agulhas II’s crew and the science team. Bound memorably describes the Endurance wreck as the “pre-eminent submerged tease of our times”, and old ice is described by the mate with the serious technical terms of “some pretty badass stuff”. My favourite moment has to be when the Endurance is finally found and “Jim was so overwhelmed that he almost felt the room spin around him. ‘Sexy picture’, was all he could think to say.” Clearly, a man after my own heart.
Bound’s also able to turn a moving turn of phrase. Antarctica is the kind of landscape that few of us will get to see in person, and he’s able to give a sense of the beauty of it, not just the danger.
“It seems almost as if we had trespassed into some polar hidey-hole where the gods go to drain their rainbows. Bends, spills and blushes were all draped with cloud and punctuated by silhouettes of bergs thousands of years old. Nobody said a thing.”
As well as:
“You sit there, alone in the dark with your thoughts, looking out over the bow into a vast ocean you can barely see. Your feelings swell and heave with the vessel. To me it is almost spiritual and, if ever I doff my agnosticism, I know that it will be on the bridge of a ship at night that I find my path to God.”
Where this really pays off is in the description of Shackleton’s death. I’m not one for co-incidences, but finding the Endurance a hundred years to the day of Shackleton’s burial, potentially even down to the hour, is certainly a bizarre one. On their way back to civilisation after finding the Endurance the team make a stop at South Georgia to visit his grave, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a bit at Bound’s speech to the team from the graveside:
“As I stand here beside his grave with all of you, dear friends, crew and team, it occurs to me that in all Shackleton’s expeditions into danger, which he himself led, the only life he lost was his own.”
Despite this, there are definitely a few niggles that I could point out. At the minor end, it’s a shame that there isn’t a map of the 2019/2022 expeditions, only of the path of the Endurance herself. It might be that as the movement of the Agulhas II was dependant on the leads in the ice that a map of her movement might become too much of a mess to read, as Shackleton said there are no straight lines when dealing with the ice, but as there so many mentions of islands/parts of Antarctica early in the book it would be nice to see them placed in the larger context.
On the more serious end, there’s a lack of context that caused me to bump it down to four stars. We go from Bound discussing with a friend in Café Nero how he’d like to find the Endurance, to meeting up with the robotics team, to setting off from South Africa with very little connecting tissue. The 2019 expedition was not just about finding the Endurance but also had various scientific researchers completing their own projects, but how they all came together (and often what they are doing) is also unclear. At the opposite end of the expedition there are also a lot of interesting questions about what happens to the wreck now she has been found, particularly around ownership and salvage/research that would have been nice to discuss in more detail, even if they were only hypothetical.
Nevertheless, Bound still gives a wonderful account of the discovery of the Endurance, even if he ironically wasn’t on the ship at the time, having popped off for a stroll along the ice when she was finally found!
January 16, 2024
The story of Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance is one of history's greatest stories of survival. This story of finding and photographing the wreck is a great addition to the historical record of the ship and the expedition.
While I found the day by day descriptions of the operations a little dry, the real value was in the author's expansive knowledge of Shackleton and his men and his ability to put into context what they went through, the conditions they faced and, ultimately, how the condition of the ship will play into that knowledge. The author also extensively quotes from diaries of Shackleton's men and other sources that are not readily available to the public. So this book ends up expanding anyone's understanding of the whole ordeal.
The book covers two expeditions, one in 2019 and a second in 2022 and with both using the same modern ice-breaking research vessel. The first ended unsuccessfully with both the loss of one of the remote vehicles used to search for the wreck and with time running out due to the very real danger of themselves being trapped in the Antarctic ice.
The second, ultimately successful, expedition used new and improved remote vehicles and somewhat more favorable weather. Still, even with a modern ship, excellent technology and what sounds like a world class team, the search is faced with some of the worst weather in the world working in temperatures down to 40 below zero, although I am not sure whether that is in Fahrenheit or Celsius (ah, nerd humor to break up an otherwise serious review). Near the very last days of the expedition, the Endurance was found and photographed.
While reading this book, when I reached the end of the first expedition, I was inspired to find and read the book "South" by Ernest Shackleton himself and which is referenced quite a bit in this book. That helped immensely with understanding some of the references made by the author but also highlighted how much more the author was able to add to the story.
While I found the day by day descriptions of the operations a little dry, the real value was in the author's expansive knowledge of Shackleton and his men and his ability to put into context what they went through, the conditions they faced and, ultimately, how the condition of the ship will play into that knowledge. The author also extensively quotes from diaries of Shackleton's men and other sources that are not readily available to the public. So this book ends up expanding anyone's understanding of the whole ordeal.
The book covers two expeditions, one in 2019 and a second in 2022 and with both using the same modern ice-breaking research vessel. The first ended unsuccessfully with both the loss of one of the remote vehicles used to search for the wreck and with time running out due to the very real danger of themselves being trapped in the Antarctic ice.
The second, ultimately successful, expedition used new and improved remote vehicles and somewhat more favorable weather. Still, even with a modern ship, excellent technology and what sounds like a world class team, the search is faced with some of the worst weather in the world working in temperatures down to 40 below zero, although I am not sure whether that is in Fahrenheit or Celsius (ah, nerd humor to break up an otherwise serious review). Near the very last days of the expedition, the Endurance was found and photographed.
While reading this book, when I reached the end of the first expedition, I was inspired to find and read the book "South" by Ernest Shackleton himself and which is referenced quite a bit in this book. That helped immensely with understanding some of the references made by the author but also highlighted how much more the author was able to add to the story.
March 26, 2024
The target audience for this is People Who Really Like Polar Exploration, so if you're outside of the target audience, you may find yourself bored. I enjoyed this a lot, although it took me quite some time to read. Mensun Bound, following in the path of explorers throughout the centuries, presents his journals from the two expeditions he helped lead in order to find the wreckage of the Endurance. It is a day-by-day account of each expedition, complete with the minutiae that make up any trip like this -- lots of waiting, lots of thinking, brief surges of action. I liked how he wove his story in with what the men on Shackleton's crew were experiencing at roughly the same time, a hundred-some years apart. I knew some but not a lot about the original Endurance, so I enjoyed getting to see the parallels between the trips. The writing can be somewhat dry at times, but the format of short chapters/journal entries makes it easy to read a bit at a time without feeling like you're stopping in the middle of something.
February 7, 2023
The heroing survival of the men on the app name ship the endurance is a story I had never heard an end this book written by Mensun Bound he tells in Journal form not only their story but the story to retrieve the long ago lost ship. I love the way he wrote this book in the credit he gave to all of those who had a hand in trying to retrieve the SS endurance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and love adventure expeditions feel like the author gave voice to one of the modern day adventures and although he has made it his career to retrieve lost ships I don’t think I could get tired of reading about it. I thought this book was well written greatly detailed and a definite must read for adventure seekers in those who love to read about others seeking adventures. I received this book from NetGalley and Harper Collins and Mariner books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
November 15, 2023
Two great stories in this book. Well worth reading in spite of the fact that it was let down by the way it was written. There was so much that should have been included; for example, I would have liked to have read more about the ecology and some explanation of why the icebreaker, Agulhas, can break some ice but is in great danger of hitting other types of ice.
I know it’s only a paperback, but the photographs could have been better selected and I would have liked the appendix to have included a list of abbreviations used in the text and a map of the expedition’s route.
I found the reading a bit tedious at times and I had an underlying feeling that Mr Bound didn’t really do much on the ship, just some heavy looking on after he was dragged from his cabin. I ‘m sure that’s not how it really was.
Now if you want a really exciting and well written account of Antarctic exploration, read Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton.
I know it’s only a paperback, but the photographs could have been better selected and I would have liked the appendix to have included a list of abbreviations used in the text and a map of the expedition’s route.
I found the reading a bit tedious at times and I had an underlying feeling that Mr Bound didn’t really do much on the ship, just some heavy looking on after he was dragged from his cabin. I ‘m sure that’s not how it really was.
Now if you want a really exciting and well written account of Antarctic exploration, read Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton.
January 16, 2024
Mensun Bound tells the story of an expedition to discover the lost ship ,Endurance sunk in the Antarctic.
In telling this gripping tale Bound naturally compares and contrast the exploits of Shackleton and his crew as they battle to survive when they are stranded on the ice.
One thing that surprised me was how much Bound and the rest of the scientists and crew interacted with the Antarctic wild life especially curious penguins during the search.
There is a sense of peril throughout and finally unbridled joy when the Endurance is discovered.
Like the rough seas this book is a roller coaster of a read with plenty of ups and downs for both sets of crews.
In telling this gripping tale Bound naturally compares and contrast the exploits of Shackleton and his crew as they battle to survive when they are stranded on the ice.
One thing that surprised me was how much Bound and the rest of the scientists and crew interacted with the Antarctic wild life especially curious penguins during the search.
There is a sense of peril throughout and finally unbridled joy when the Endurance is discovered.
Like the rough seas this book is a roller coaster of a read with plenty of ups and downs for both sets of crews.
February 7, 2023
An excellent read!
I'm not a Shackleton aficionado (Shackletonian? Shackle-phile?), and so didn't know much about the Endurance expedition beyond the narrative of the heroic survival of all hands.
However, that made no difference. While the author fills in the gaps on Shackleton and the Endurance story this is primarily a book about modern underwater archaeology on the expedition to find the lost ship beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea...and it's fascinating!
An interesting travelogue and an insight into this kind of expedition. I felt like I could easily imagine the ship, crew, and circumstances and imagine their elation at their find.
I'm not a Shackleton aficionado (Shackletonian? Shackle-phile?), and so didn't know much about the Endurance expedition beyond the narrative of the heroic survival of all hands.
However, that made no difference. While the author fills in the gaps on Shackleton and the Endurance story this is primarily a book about modern underwater archaeology on the expedition to find the lost ship beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea...and it's fascinating!
An interesting travelogue and an insight into this kind of expedition. I felt like I could easily imagine the ship, crew, and circumstances and imagine their elation at their find.
February 26, 2023
This was the continuation of an already truly fascinating tale of adventure and survival.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bound's blend of Shackleton's expedition alongside the 2019 and 2022 expeditions. The details and photographs added so much awesomeness to all of the accounts. It was such an incredible journey then and now. And to read about history in the making with the discovery of the shipwreck, it was just perfection on the page. What an amazing tale of a goal and a labor of love all wrapped into one. This was an excellent book that I was so excited to purchase and devour.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bound's blend of Shackleton's expedition alongside the 2019 and 2022 expeditions. The details and photographs added so much awesomeness to all of the accounts. It was such an incredible journey then and now. And to read about history in the making with the discovery of the shipwreck, it was just perfection on the page. What an amazing tale of a goal and a labor of love all wrapped into one. This was an excellent book that I was so excited to purchase and devour.
Shelved as 'category-dnf'
December 10, 2023DNF
Reading this you will feel like you’re sitting at midcourt in a table tennis match with your head moving back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until whiplash sets in. Actually, its three threads with random bounces from one to another: Bound’s diary of the search, recaps and stories from Shackleton’s journey, and updates while Bound translates the diary to this book.
I made it a quarter through the book before seeking medical attention for my neck.
Reading this you will feel like you’re sitting at midcourt in a table tennis match with your head moving back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until whiplash sets in. Actually, its three threads with random bounces from one to another: Bound’s diary of the search, recaps and stories from Shackleton’s journey, and updates while Bound translates the diary to this book.
I made it a quarter through the book before seeking medical attention for my neck.
March 31, 2023
What a fantastic read! I enjoyed the adventure of looking for the Endurance.
Mensun Bound takes the reader on a fabulous journey, looking for the wreck of the Endurance, and tracking Shackleton's adventure at the same time. There are ups and downs, as the first expedition hits several snags, leaving the crew dejected and upset over the lack of finding anything concrete. But the next try might yield better results, giving the team what they are looking for.
This book crosses between Shackleton and Bound, giving glimpses of the first journey, which was fraught with danger and unexpected hardships.
Loved this one immensely!
Mensun Bound takes the reader on a fabulous journey, looking for the wreck of the Endurance, and tracking Shackleton's adventure at the same time. There are ups and downs, as the first expedition hits several snags, leaving the crew dejected and upset over the lack of finding anything concrete. But the next try might yield better results, giving the team what they are looking for.
This book crosses between Shackleton and Bound, giving glimpses of the first journey, which was fraught with danger and unexpected hardships.
Loved this one immensely!
July 9, 2023
This was not nearly as thrilling as Alfred Lansing’s book about Shackleton’s voyage to Antarctica (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) which had piqued my interest in the adventure and shipwreck. I found my mind wandering quite a bit as I tried to listen to this audiobook. Could be a timing issue for me. I’ve had a lot going on. I mainly wanted to be done with this and move on.
July 23, 2023
Shackleton’s attempt to reach the South Pole is a fascinating account of bravery, perseverance, heroism, and, yes, endurance. This account of two expeditions to find Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, which became icebound and sank, leaving the men of the expedition stranded on the Antarctic ice, is just boring.
There are technical issues. There are weather issues. They get stuck in port waiting for parts to fix the underwater drone. What I cannot tell you is whether they eventually reached the Endurance, because I quit reading.
There’s an hour long documentary about these attempts on (I think) the Smithsonian Channel. Watch that instead.
There are technical issues. There are weather issues. They get stuck in port waiting for parts to fix the underwater drone. What I cannot tell you is whether they eventually reached the Endurance, because I quit reading.
There’s an hour long documentary about these attempts on (I think) the Smithsonian Channel. Watch that instead.
June 30, 2024
very interesting book!! i wasn’t quite expecting it to be a day by day breakdown of the search to find the endurance, but i was (surprisingly? unsurprisingly?) fascinated by that still. i also really liked the way the author wove in details and anecdotes about the endurance expedition into his narrative. super cool book for a polar exploration nerd like me.
August 23, 2023
Really loved this book!!! Is incredible to think of a ship preserved under ice and the fact that it hasn’t been discovered until last year.
My Antarctica obsession continues 🤣
My Antarctica obsession continues 🤣
June 20, 2024
Very informative and has lead to my current rabbithole of 'things I have to know about!!'
August 13, 2024
Found it a bit slow to start with but by the end I was glued to the page. I think it helped that I had no real idea of Shackleton's journey at a close up view. Would recommend
June 3, 2023
If you like adventure stories, you will like this true-life story of a triumph of ingenuity and engineering over some of the worst climate conditions in the world.
July 24, 2023
much like the endurance herself, i am a wreck after reading this
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews