Fortitudine Vincimus
May 19, 2017 Ogden Surgical-Medical Society Jordy Cox, MD
1 2 Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
– British Explorer • Discovery Expedition with Scott (1901-1904) • Nimrod 1907-1909 – Beaten to South Pole by Amundsen – Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917)
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
– Attempt at first land crossing of Antarctica – Via the Pole – Two ships – Weddell Sea landing near Vahsel Bay – Ross Sea establishing camp in McMurdo Sound – Supply depots
3 MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL.
HONOUR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS.
- The Times – 12/29/1913
Expedition Members – 5000 Applications – Including “3 sporty girls” – 28 men – + 1 stowaway – 2 surgeons – Alexander Macklin – James McIlroy – Photographer – Frank Hurley
The Endurance
– 300-ton barquentine called Polaris – Bought for £14,000 – Current value £1 million – Sail and coal-fired steam engine – 18-inch thick wooden bow – Renamed after his family moto – Sailed from Plymouth on 8 August 1914
4 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
– Ship Aurora sailed from Australia – Commander Aeneas Mackintosh – Travelled to the Ross Sea in McMurdo Sound – Laid supply depots as far as Beardmore Glacier – 3 lives lost
The Endurance – Departs South Georgia Island on 5 December 1914 – Became trapped in ice on 17 Jan 1915
5 Weddell Sea Camp – 24 Feb1915
The Endurance Drifts
– Most southerly latitude - 76◦58’S – Antarctic winter darkness (-25◦ to -40◦ C) – Fitness training and morale
Abandon Ship
– Order given 27 Oct 1915 – Position 69◦05’S, 51◦30’W – Salvage
6 The Endurance Sinks 21 November 1915
Summer/Winter 1915-1916
– Oct 27 – Ordered to abandon ship – Nov 21 – Endurance sinks – Dec 21 – Crews begin marching to open water – Dec 29 – Slow progress - Patience Camp – Apr 2 – Remaining dogs eaten – Apr 9 – Crew goes to open sea in 3 lifeboats – James Caird, Dudley Docker and Stancomb Wills
The March Across the Ice
7 Patience Camp
Lifeboat Journey
– 4/15/1916 - Landing on Elephant Island – Remote and uninhabited
Voyage of the James Caird
– 22 foot wooden lifeboat, 6 men – 800 mile (1300 km) voyage with compass, sextant and chronometer – Launched 24 April 1916 – Heavy seas, hurricane force winds – Landed on King Haakon Bay (South Georgia) – 8 May 1916
8 Landing on Haakon Bay
Peggoty Camp
South Georgia Island Crossing
– 19 May, after 5 days of rest, 3 men left on foot – Shackleton, Worsley and Crean – Nails in shoes for traction – Rope Sledge – 21 May, they arrive in Stromness Bay whaling station – After 36 hours without rest
Rescue – First rescued 3 companions at Peggoty Camp – 4 attempts to reach Elephant Island – 1st attempt 3 days after arriving Stromness – Reached his men aboard the Yelcho on 30 August 1916 – All survived – 22 months total
9 Elephant Island Rescue – Amputation by candlelight and chloroform – Considering cannibalism
Two Years…
– Return to civilization – WWI – Shackleton dies of heart attack aboard the Quest – 5 Jan 1922 – First crossing of Antarctica 40 years later
Medecins Sans Frontieres
“We find out where conditions are the worst, the places where others are not going, and that is where we want to be” -Nicolas deTorrente
10 Self-reliance Endurance
Resilience
Self-reliance Endurance
Resilience
11 12 13 Self-reliance Endurance
Resilience
14 15 16 17 Self-reliance Endurance
Resilience
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Self-reliance Endurance
Resilience
Humility
Fortitudine Vincimus
Through Endurance We Conquer
25 Final Thoughts . . .
– Your training will open doors – Give back – Stay involved – Although you will be a leader, rely on your team
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” -- Edmund Burke 1729-1797
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