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HURLEY’S PHOTOGRAPHS OF SHACKLETON’S EXPEDITION
Shackleton’s Great Open Boat Journey After reaching the barren safety of Elephant Island, Shackleton was faced with a daunting reality – no outside help knew where they were, let alone that they could still be alive, there would be no rescue if they simply etched out an existence on the wave and wind lashed land of Point Wild. To ensure the rescue of his men, Shackleton had to take matters into his own hands and make a bold dash for help, an ocean away, in the tiny James Caird. The closest habited land was in Tierre del Fuego/Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America. But the storming westerly winds and strong currents cutting through the Drake Passage made an approach from Elephant Island in a small boat virtually impossible. Their only option was to make for the island of South Georgia, to the northeast. They were faced with a treacherous journey across 800 nautical miles (approx. 1500km) of the stormiest seas in the world, at the beginning of winter, a distance ten times greater than they had traveled to get to Elephant Island. It encountered to searching for a geographical needle in an oceanic haystack. South Georgia was less than two km long, flanked to either side by thousands of kilometres of the South Atlantic Ocean. In all probability, such an open boat journey was going to amount to suicide. But they had no other option and Shackleton knew this. Every day of delay brought with it the prospect or worsening weather. Shackleton announced his plan and everyone set about preparation. Six of the men, led by Shackleton and including Hurley and Crean, would depart as soon as everything was ready. With only a few tools and supplies from the other boats, McNish did a masterful job of building up the hull of the 11 foot Caird and covered the decks with sail canvas and timbers. Shackleton specifically chose McNish for the boat journey knowing that if McNish accompanied them he would do his best work on the Caird and be removed from spreading his negative attitude amongst the men left behind. On April 24th, 1918, after four days of intense preparation, the Caird was ready and the weather broke. Under favourable skies, the little boat was launched in the breaking surf. |
