Ernest Shackleton survival story for kids
By Aaron P.
Antarctica is a huge antarctic continent at the South Pole of the Earth. It is surrounded by thick sea ice, wide ice floes, and heavy pack ice, sometimes called an ice pack. No people live there, and the climate is extremely cold and harsh.
More than one hundred years ago, there was a brave explorer named Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose full name was Ernest Henry Shackleton. As young Ernest, he grew up partly in County Kildare and later studied at Dulwich College. For a short time he also attended Trinity College Dublin. He later served in the Royal Navy as a third lieutenant. Before leading his own expedition, he had sailed with explorer Robert Falcon Scott on an earlier journey that reached many miles of the South Pole.
Shackleton dreamed of becoming the first person to cross this wild and unforgiving continent from one side to the other. His great plan became known as the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, often called Shackleton’s expedition or the Endurance expedition. Another group, the Ross Sea Party, would work near the Ross Sea, close to McMurdo Sound and the great Ross Ice Shelf, laying out supply depots for the planned sledge journey across the continent.
When he was 40 years old, he gathered some of the strongest and most honorable men he could find as crew members. Among them were Frank Hurley, Frank Wild, Thomas Orde-Lees, Frank Worsley, and Tom Crean. Together they would sail all the way to Antarctica on a three-masted sailing ship called Endurance.
They left the harbor in Plymouth, England, on August 8, 1914, and sailed to Buenos Aires. There they stayed for a while to repair and adjust the ship, collect food and equipment, and add more crew members. When they left Buenos Aires, they were 28 men in total.
Before reaching Antarctica, they also stopped for a month on South Georgia Island, where there was a busy whaling station. There they took on more coal and extra supplies and waited for some of the sea ice near their destination to melt. They were warned that the pack ice that year was unusually thick and difficult to get through. Even so, Shackleton decided to continue the journey.
As they approached the antarctic continent, something happened that must never happen to a ship. The Endurance became trapped in the heavy pack ice. For months, the ship drifted wherever the ice carried it. Day by day—sometimes the next day bringing even more pressure—the ice grew stronger around them. Finally, the ice crushed the ship completely. Shackleton’s expedition had lost their home.
The crew built a camp on a floating ice floe in order to survive. The leaders stayed calm so that no one would panic. Shackleton understood that staying united gave them the best chance of rescue. They often prayed to God for guidance and help in their difficult situation. Shackleton had grown up in a Christian home, so it felt natural for him to turn to God when he faced trouble. Later, he said that he sometimes felt as if an extra person—like a fourth man—an unseen presence, was traveling with them, giving them strength and guidance.
When the ice beneath them finally began to break into smaller pieces, the men climbed into small boats they had saved from the Endurance. One of these boats was called the James Caird. After a long and dangerous journey across icy waters filled with sea ice, they reached an uninhabited island called Elephant Island. But there was no rescue there. It was completely uninhabited, and if they stayed, they would slowly starve or freeze.
Shackleton chose five men to go with him to search for help. They took the small boat James Caird and began a very dangerous journey across the freezing sea. At last, they reached the wild coast of South Georgia Island. From there, they would have to walk across the mountainous island to reach the whaling station on the other side.
Two of the men were too weak to continue on foot. They stayed behind by the boat with another companion, while Shackleton and two others—Frank Worsley and Tom Crean—continued the journey. They crossed high mountains and faced frightening hardships. It was especially during this long journey across South Georgia that Shackleton felt that “a fourth man,” an unseen helper, was walking beside them, supporting and guiding them.
At last, they reached the whaling station—the very place where they had once prepared for their Antarctic journey. With help from the Chilean government, Shackleton organized a rescue mission. After several attempts, he finally succeeded in reaching Elephant Island.
The amazing thing was that every single man from the expedition survived. All the crew members were rescued. This was largely because of the calm and wise leadership of Shackleton and his men, but also because they felt God’s steady presence with them throughout their long and dangerous journey across the sea ice and the frozen antarctic continent.
Remember, if you are ever on an adventure, you can also pray and ask God to protect you and your friends. He is only a simple prayer away and always ready to give guidance and comfort. It is important to stay calm when unexpected problems appear. It is also important to ask for help when a task feels too hard. Shackleton and his crew understood this—and now you do too.
About the Author
Aaron P. wrote this article about survival stories and historical adventures for young readers. He enjoys making history exciting and engaging for kids.
