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Antarctic expedition to renew search for Shackleton's ship Endurance The location of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance has been one of the great maritime mysteries since the ship became trapped in ice and sank in 1915. Finding this symbol of the heroic age of polar exploration at the bottom of the Weddell Sea was
long thought impossible because of the harshness of the Antarctic environment - the evil conditions', as Shackleton described them.
Now a major scientific expedition is being planned with a mission to locate, survey and film the wreck. Endurance22 will launch early next year, in a vessel that will brave the most treacherous frozen waters, pounding its way through miles of pack ice.
The effects of climate change will make the expedition a little less difficult, with melting ice easing the vessel's passage. An international team of scientists with expertise in the study of ice and climate will be on board, advancing knowledge of the
Antarctic environment.Mensun Bound, its director of exploration, headed the 2019 search for the Endurance that had to be called off because of extreme weather conditions, after an underwater vehicle became trapped beneath the ice. 'I have mixed emotions. On the one hand, there's great excitement. On the other, for the last three years, I've had to carry this persistent sadness in me that we didn't find it last time. It's never far from my thoughts. That ship is always playing with my imagination, he said.Bound said global warming in the Antarctic is absolutely devastating, but that the melting ice has improved our chances of discovering the shipwreck. Discussing the dangers, he said that if tourist ships were to venture deep into the Weddell Sea,they would be ripped open by the ice.
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Shackleton's attempt to cross Antarctica is an epic story of valour and survival against all the odds. The Endurance became trapped in ice off the Caird Coast and drifted for months before being crushed and sinking. The men drifted on ice floes for months. Food became an anxiety and when the expedition dogs were shot they were eaten. Eventually they took to their boats reaching the uninhabited Elephant Island, where they lived off penguins and seal meat. Shackleton and five others then headed for the island of South Georgia in a whale boat, eventually rescuing the others from Elephant Island, with all 28 of the crew returning alive.The Endurance is believed to lie at a depth of more than 3,000 metres. Although the vessel was crushed, its timbers are likely to be well preserved as a result of the extreme cold, the absence of light, and the relative lack of oxygen. It is possible that the vessel's strength of construction means that much of it is intact. There are even hopes that the expedition could find glass plates abandoned by the photographer. Frank Hurley, among other artefacts on the wreck.The vessel for Endurance22, SA Agulhas II, belongs to the South African government and will set off from Cape Town early next year, after two years of planning. It has heavy-duty ice-breakers that will pound their way through the pack ice for miles on
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end. Bound said: 'Our ship is part sledgehammer, part bulldozer, part Swiss army knife. It is a battle. Last time, we ourselves became trapped in the ice, not once but several times, just as the Endurance did, and those were quite worrying moments.The team will be using Saab Sabertooth underwater search vehicles, equipped with sensors, lights and cameras to bring discoveries to a worldwide audience. If the Agulhas II cannot get near enough, they are planning an ice camp where the Sabertooth could be lowered through a hole drilled in the ice. John Shears, the expedition leader, said that with the vessel, an outstanding crew and cutting-edge technology, there has never been as good an opportunity to locate Endurance.Bound has been researching archival material in the search for clues to the wreck's location beyond the famous coordinates recorded by Frank Worsley. Shackleton's master navigator. It all depends on that one little piece of information, he said. "Wewere close in 2019. We covered well over half of the search area up to 9 km across. But Worsley never took his coordinates on the day the ship sank. His last observation was almost three days before. What was the ship doing in those three days?
What was the speed and direction adrift? All those things I have to take into account."Donald Lamont, chairman of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, said: 'We hope that this effort will bring the story of Shackleton and his ship to a younger generation, inspiring their interest in the science and the environmental importance of Antarctica for all of us.
1) Why did people think it was impossible to find the Endurance?A. because they were not determined to do so.
B.because the location of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance has been one of the great maritime mysteries
C. because it was the symbol of the heroic age of polar exploration.
D. because the environment in Antarctica is so severe
Apart from bad weather, what caused the 2019 expedition to be cancelled?
A.extreme weather conditions
2)
. an underwater vehicle became trapped beneath the ice B C
. global warming
D.harsh weather conditions
3) What happened to the Endurance?A. It became trapped in the ice and was then crushed and sank.
B. It was ripped open by the ice.C. It survived against all the odds
D. It lied at a depth of about 3.000 metres
4) How did the crew of the Endurance survive on Elephant Island?
A. They ate penguins and seal meat.
B. They went hunting.They ate the expedition dogs