Elephant Island
It took the men six exhausting days to reach Elephant Island. While they crew was relieved to be on actual land again, they hadn’t slept since setting off in the lifeboats. But worse, nobody knew they were there. The crew took nine days to rest and recuperate. With a dash of strength and a heap of determination, Shackleton assembled a team of five to make the almost 800 mile journey to South Georgia Island.
Their small lifeboat, the James Caird, tossed around for sixteen days as the team, comprised of Shackleton, Captain Frank Worsley, carpenter Henry McNish (still mourning Mrs. Chippy), Second Officer Thomas Crean, Able Seaman Timothy McCarthy, and Able Seaman John Vincent, fought the rolling swells of the sea. Through the 60-70 miles a day of their journey, they were constantly breaking ice off the sail and hoping the next one wouldn’t capsize the small boat.
