Shackleton's Captain

[Jaguar 25]

Just watched a brilliant Discovery programme about Shackleton's Captain. Watched it on Catch-Up so don't know when it was fiirst aired but sometime in the past week.

That's what you call navigation!

 

[Uricanejack]

I always thought Shackleton was the Captain. hope to see it.

 

[Jaguar 25]

I always thought Shackleton was the Captain. hope to see it.

Shackleton was the expedition leader but with his arrogance effectively told the captain what to do anyway so seemingly acted as captain until things got rough and then ceded to the real captain. Especially important when they sailed 800 miles from Elephant island to South Georgia in a 22 foot converted lifeboat in atrocious conditions with only a sextant and charts to try to get a rescue mission organised for the other 22 crew then left at Elephant Island!

 

[chinita]

Frank Worsley was probably one of the greatest seafarers/navigators ever to have drawn breath. That is why I named my son after him. I hope he lives long enough to realise the value of that.

 

[tadr]

More on Frank Worsley...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Worsley

 

[macd]

Frank Worsley was probably one of the greatest seafarers/navigators ever to have drawn breath.

...and Shackleton's Boat Journey, Worsley's own account of the South Georgia trip is (or was recently) back in print. Well worth reading from the horse's mouth, although it doesn't differ in substance from Shackleton's narrative.

 

[ImSteve]

I Have worked on a ship down there, And words can't really describe the monstrous seas and the mind numbing cold..
When I see programes like this I still shudder, and we had modern clothing and a ship designed to do the job..
Those men were a testimony to how much the human soul can endure..

 

[chinita]

What amazed me was when Shakleton, Worsley and Crean finally arrived at the Whaling Station they chartered a ship and left for Elephant Island the very next day.

I think I would have been having several days in a hot bath surrounded by copious amounts of alcohol.

 

[Woodlouse]

What amazed me was when Shakleton, Worsley and Crean finally arrived at the Whaling Station they chartered a ship and left for Elephant Island the very next day.

I think I would have been having several days in a hot bath surrounded by copious amounts of alcohol.

The amazing bit about that voyage is that after reaching South Georgia they then immediately set about crossing over the island and did so in half the time it takes most climbers even now.

 

[Kukri]

Shackleton was the expedition leader but with his arrogance effectively told the captain what to do anyway so seemingly acted as captain until things got rough and then ceded to the real captain.

That point of view is new to me.

Frank Worsley never said a bad word about Ernest Shackleton. After Shackleton's death he did some pretty interesting Polar exploring of his own - look for his book "Under Sail in the Frozen North" which describes his circumnavigation of Nordaustland.

 

[dom]

Saw Part I of this program last week and was amazed at the skill of the sextant operative in the reenactment voyage, let alone Worsely! - so I decided to have a bash at taking sights whilst sitting in the tender anchored in Osborne Bay. Wind NE F4; waves about 0.5m.

The accuracy of my sightings would have risked missing the UK, let alone South Georgia! Taking accurate sights, with freezing hands, whilst bobbing around in the Southern Ocean, with no possibility of rectifying mistakes if the destination was missed ...was truly quite something. I'm even more amazed now!

 

[Kukri]

Saw Part I of this program last week and was amazed at the skill of the sextant operative in the reenactment voyage, let alone Worsely! - so I decided to have a bash at taking sights whilst sitting in the tender anchored in Osborne Bay. Wind NE F4; waves about 0.5m.

The accuracy of my sightings would have risked missing the UK, let alone South Georgia! Taking accurate sights, with freezing hands, whilst bobbing around in the Southern Ocean, with no possibility of rectifying mistakes if the destination was missed ...was truly quite something. I'm even more amazed now!

Your sextant probably has bigger mirrors, too! I know mine does and I would have done about as well as you!

 

[Hydrozoan]

The amazing bit about that voyage is that after reaching South Georgia they then immediately set about crossing over the island and did so in half the time it takes most climbers even now.

And in pyjamas for thermal underwear, and evening dress trousers in one case, IIRC?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The amazing bit about that voyage is that after reaching South Georgia they then immediately set about crossing over the island and did so in half the time it takes most climbers even now.

What's even more amazing is that no map of the interior of South Georgia existed at that time (or for a long time afterwards), and they were the first people to cross South Georgia overland! Their route is available on www.sggis.gov.gs - note that because the terrain was unknown at the time, there are parts of their route which are still matters of academic debate even today.