Elephant Island lies just east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. For Ernest Shackleton it represented the last hope for a landfall in April of 1916. His party had not touched land in 18 months. Their ship, Endurance, had been trapped and then crushed by pack ice. Point Wild, on the north side of Elephant Island would be home to 22 of the party, while "the Boss," Shackleton, set out on the now legendary voyage of several hundred miles across the wild southern ocean. For four months the band subsisted on penguins and an occasional seal, living under the makeshift cover of two up-turned lifeboats. They met each day with hope and expectation and after 137 days Shackleton returned to rescue his men from this site.
Years separate these two photos. The physical details are the same. The rocks and the headland are unchanged although the beach is smaller. Frank Hurley recorded the launching of the James Caird as she set out for rescue. Our own adventurers cruise the shore in a Zodiac contemplating the scene and the players of a grand story of survival that took place here some 84 years ago.
