'Quest' Vessel of Ernest Shackleton Discovered After 60 Years on the Seafloor Off Newfoundland Coast

The last ship of Ernest Shackleton's final voyage has finally been found 60 years after its sinking.

The Quest vessel was found sitting on the seafloor off the Newfoundland coast.

Ernest Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton was the leader of three British expeditions across the Antarctic. For his final voyage, he started it in September 1921.

Shackleton''s original plans were to explore the Arctic regions across Canada. However, when the Canadian government withdrew its support, he had to adjust his goals.

He then opted to set sites toward the Antarctic. He planned to map and gather samples from the islands of the continent.

However, in 1922, he ended up dying while aboard Quest while the crew was en route towards Antarctica. This was four months into his voyage. Shackleton was said to have experienced a heart attack because of extreme stress.

However, the Quest ship was still used until the 60s.

According to John Geiger, the Royal Canadian Geography Society's (RCGS) CEO and the leader of the expedition, Shackleton was known for his brilliance and courage amidst crises. The irony is that his death was the only one to take place on any ship under his rule.

Finding Quest

The expedition involved a global team of experts, including David Mearns, a world-renowned hunter for shipwrecks.

The team made use of sonar equipment to spot the remains of the Schooner-rigged steamship that spanned 38 meters in length. It was found in the Labrador Sea at the depth of 390 meters.

The wreck was found to be remarkably intact and sitting upright over the seafloor. This is quite remarkable, considering how passing icebergs used to scour the area.

The explorers also discovered that the ship was nearly close to how it was prior to its sinking.

Though Shackleton died on the ship, its sinking was not attributed to him. After he died aboard the ship, the vessel was sold to the Schjelderup family. It was then used as a vessel for seal hunting.

After Shackleton's death, the Quest was still used for decades. It helped with Arctic rescues and even took part in World War II as part of the Royal Canadian Navy.

At a certain point, the vessel was chosen to bring some Norwegian troops to Svalbard. However, while it was en route, it experienced an engine failure.

The ship that replaced it ended up bombed, sinking while it was on its mission.

However, the Quest finally sank during a 1962 seal hunt due to the crushing of thick sea ice.

The hull of the vessel was pierced with intense pressure. This eventually made the cabin doors warm and the engine's deck screws snap.

This was also the same fate faced by the Endurance vessel of Shackleton during the 1914 to 1917 journey of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

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