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Canadian-led team finds ship of polar explorer Shackleton


A team of divers in eastern Canada has found the Quest, the ship on which renowned polar explorer Ernest Shackleton died in 1922, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society said.

In a statement, it said the Quest, a schooner-rigged vessel, lay at a depth of 390 metres off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The ship, which was damaged by ice and sank in 1962 when being used by seal hunters, was found intact on Sunday.

Mr Shackleton, preparing for his fourth journey to the Antarctic, died of a heart attack aboard the Quest on 5 January 1922, near the remote island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. He was 47.

Mr Shackleton is regarded as a British hero, but was born in Kildare on 15 February 1874.

After his death, a Norwegian company bought the Quest and used it for expeditions. It was also put into service with the Royal Canadian Navy during World War Two.

Ernest Shackleton on his expedition ship The Quest in September 1921

The society’s announcement marks the second time in two years that one of the Anglo-Irish explorer’s ships has been found.

In March 2022, search teams discovered the remains of the Endurance, which was crushed by Antarctic ice and sank some 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) in November 1915.

The 28-man Endurance crew all made it home alive in what is considered one of the great survival stories.

They trekked across the sea ice before setting sail in three lifeboats and reaching the uninhabited Elephant Island.

On his fourth rescue attempt, Mr Shackleton returned to pick up the rest of the crew in August 1916.



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