In August 1914, as part of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Ernest Shackleton set off from Britain to Antarctica. The continent surrounding the Research Mrs Chippy—the ship’s cat. Ernest Shackleton wanted to be the first person to cross Antarctica by South Pole—almost entirely Antarctica What is the climate of Antarctica like? foot. covered by ice. Look up Shackleton’s journey on a map. Shackleton’s ship was called Endurance . an extremely large mass of ice Glacier which moves very slowly, In the freezing waters around Antarctica, the ship became trapped by the often down a mountain valley ice. The ice eventually crushed the ship meaning it had to be abandoned. Navigate To find a way to get to a place. Shackleton and his crew drifted on sheets of ice for months. Shackleton decided to use three lifeboats (rowing boats) through treacherous seas to reach Elephant Island—a bleak, ice-covered rock. Shackleton took five crew members with him in a small lifeboat to reach South Georgia (900 miles away) where they knew there was a whaling station. When they reached South Georgia, they had to hike 30 miles, climbing a mountain and crossing glaciers to reach the whaling station. A ship was then able to rescue the remaining 22 men on Elephant Island. Shackleton failed in his attempt to cross Antarctica by foot, but he became a hero for leading one of the greatest and bravest rescues in history. During another Antarctic mission in 1921, Shackleton fell ill and suffered a fatal heart attack, he died at the age of 47. .