A Shock from the Bottom of the Sea
Esther Horvath, a photographer with National Geographic was with the Endurance22 team when they found the wreck of the Endurance in 2022. According to Horvath, the Endurance22 team was shocked at the condition of the wreck. They expected the ship to have broken, given the ice compression and list. While the upper deck has broken, the ship itself lies beneath the sea remarkably preserved. It didn’t break when it hit the sea floor.
In addition to the shock of finding it in one piece, the team was surprised to see how well preserved it is. The freezing Antarctic waters, the marine life, and nutrients in the water helped keep the Endurance from suffering major deterioration seen on other major shipwrecks like the Titanic. Expedition22 director Mensun Bound said, “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen…You can even see ‘Endurance‘ arced across the stern.”
