Deseret News archives: Antarctic explorer Shackleton rescued his men on fourth try

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.

Or in Ernest Shackleton’s case, try, try, try and try again.

On Aug. 30, 1916, on his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackleton successfully returned to Elephant Island in Antarctica to rescue 22 of his stranded crew members, who had survived on the barren island for 4½ months after the sinking of their ship, the Endurance.

Shackleton, a British explorer, enjoyed a fair number of successes. Some say his final achievement was demonstrating the indomitability of the human body and spirit.

In 1914, the popular but perhaps reckless explorer began a voyage to the southern polar region.

But in 1915, a ship containing Shackleton’s 28 crewmen, their dog teams and a stowaway Argentine cat became trapped in pack ice in the Weddell sea. It eventually was crushed and sank, while the crew languished in camps on the ice cap.

Eventually, they made an 800-mile journey on lifeboats to Elephant Island. Shackleton and five other members of the group then made a long open-boat journey to South Georgia, where they arranged a rescue of the men who had remained on Elephant Island and to bring them home without loss of life. The remarkably preserved wreck of Endurance was found on the seafloor in 2022.

Fortunately, Shackleton had a professional filmmaker and photographer among his crew.

Newspapers loved to follow the exploits of Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, Sir Edmund Hillary and others. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Shackleton, his expeditions and how the crew overcame the odds:

“ Antarctic shipwreck found after 107 years underwater ”

“ Third man syndrome: Spiritual phenomenon or survival mechanism? ”

“ Utah producer followed in Shackleton’s footsteps ”

“‘ Shackleton’ gives a lift to low spirits ”

“ Endurance: Shackleton’s legendary antarctic expedition ”

“ Explorers tell of Shangri La falls, mummies, shipwrecks ”

“ Icebound ship in Antarctica edges closer to rescue ”

“ Passengers rescued off ship stuck in Antarctic ice ”