Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance

Ernest Henry Shackleton, the central character of the book, was born in Ireland and lived most of his life in England. The explorer became famous around the world for his expeditions to Antarctica, including a 1908 voyage on which he became the first explorer in history to get within 100 miles of the South Pole. He was 40 years old when he set out to lead the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

As Armstrong recounts, he is a “loner” as a child, “reading adventure stories during his school days and dreaming of fame and fortune” (5). He becomes a merchant mariner when he is 16 and comes into contact with the Southern Ocean. Although by age 26 he is successful in the merchant marine, he feels the job may “be a dead end” (5). He decides to go to the offices of the National Antarctic Expedition in London, and in 1901 he is made a junior officer on the ship Discovery under captain Robert F. Scott. The ship takes him to Antarctic for the first time, and he returns 1908, coming close to the South Pole.

Although two other explorers reach the South Pole before Shackleton, he is determined to go back, this time to cross the continent. He has “the exploration bug,” and “the continent pulled him like a magnet” (5). He attempts the feat again in 1914 through the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, raising money for the trip easily due to his global fame.

Shackleton’s capacity to make decisions under intense stress and to maintain solidarity among the crew despite danger and hardship is at the heart of Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. The crew of Endurance is “in awe of their commander” and calls him “Boss” (12). McIlroy describes him as potentially “very frightening’” and “like Napoleon” in his sternness. The men willingly follow his commands and never question his authority. He has a strategy for preventing the men from fighting by making them shake hands.

After the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Shackleton put together an expedition in 1921 and returned to Antarctica one last time. On January 5, 1922, he suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after arriving on South Georgia Island.

Frank Worsley is the captain of Endurance. He is merchant mariner officer who has been sailing since the age of 16. His background is part-Maori New Zealander, and he is known to the men as “the skipper.” To help entertain the crew while they are on Endurance, he gives “a lecture on New Zealand” and teaches the crew the Maori war dance. Worsley is well respected by everyone and invaluable to the voyage, particularly because of his navigational skills. After the Endurance sinks, he is able to calculate where they are with a minimal number of instruments. By the time Shackleton launches the rescue mission from Elephant Island, of which Worsley is an essential part, he is down to one chronometer from 24 when the trip began (93).

Tom Crean is a key member of the crew. He is Irish and has travelled south with Shackleton before under Captain Robert F. Scott. He is a “tough sailor” and is one of the six dog-sled team drivers planned for the overland journey across Antarctica. When the dogs have puppies while they are still on the Endurance, he builds them a miniature sled as well. As a “seasoned explorer,” he is chosen, along with Worsley, to be part of the rescue mission from Elephant Island on the James Caird. He also goes with Shackleton and Worsley across the uncharted terrain of South Georgia Island to the whaling stations.

Frank Wild is Shackleton’s second-in-command and one of the most trusted members of his crew. Shackleton consults with him before making some of his most important decisions. Wild has traveled south with Shackleton twice before and spent “a total of six years in Antarctica” (7). Like Tom Crean, he is one of the dog-sled team drivers and wins the Antarctic Dog Derby race the crew holds on June 15. Shackleton leaves Wild in charge of the men at Elephant Island when he embarks on the rescue mission. Wild keeps the mood optimistic and makes sure their first priority is to build a solid shelter. In 1921, he joins Shackleton for his final expedition on the Quest, aboard which Shackleton dies.

Frank Hurley is a 24-year-old Australian photographer who has previously traveled to the Antarctic with explorer Douglas Mawson. He achieved fame as an expedition photographer and is crucial to Shackleton’s trip “because of the financial backing he could attract” (7). He is “fearless” in his picture taking and climbs cliffs and the rigging of the ship to get his photographs. He often goes out onto the ice to take pictures as well. He is also the driver of one of the dogsled teams and nearly wins the Antarctic Dog Derby but loses to Wild. When they are at Ocean Camp, he proves his skills as a metalworker by making two stoves for the crew.