30/08/2025
📍 August 30, 1916 - Elephant Island, Antarctica.
After four and a half months stranded on the ice, the 22-strong crew of the Endurance were clinging to survival in their makeshift camp on Elephant Island. Shackleton had already made three attempts to reach them, but he refused to be defeated. He had to appeal to the Chilean government for help.
The only vessel available: the Yelcho, a 36-metre tugboat not built for Antarctic conditions. Against all odds, Shackleton, Captain Frank Worsley, Tom Crean and Chilean naval officer Captain Luis Pardo set sail through the Drake Passage and ice-choked seas.
After five days crossing the Drake Passage, on this day in 1916, Shackleton stood at the bow as the Yelcho broke through the mist. “Are you all well?” he shouted and the call came back, “All safe! All well!”
All 22 men were brought safely aboard - not a single life lost. Shackleton never gave up on his men.
The rescue remains one of the most daring feats in exploration history: a story of leadership, resilience and unbreakable brotherhood.
