Mayor congratulates Endurance22 crew on successful Shackleton expedition

09 March 2022

Statement by Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis

I have written to the crew of the Endurance22 expedition and the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust to congratulate them on their successful location of the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, which sank in 1915.
 
The international expedition set sail from Cape Town last month on the Cape Town-registered public research vessel, S. A. Agulhas II, under the command of its South African Captain, Knowledge Bengu.
 
This morning, the expedition announced that Endurance had been found - 107 years later - at a depth of 3 008 metres in the Weddell Sea, within the search area defined by the expedition team before its departure from Cape Town.
 
The discovery will contribute to historical and scientific research of the Antarctic region, and the Endurance will now be surveyed and filmed. The wreck is protected as a historic site and monument under the Antarctic Treaty, meaning that while it is being studied, it will not be touched or disturbed in any way.
 
I look forward to welcoming the Endurance22 back to Cape Town. I hope to convey to them — in person at Cape Town harbour — my thanks and admiration for their discovery, which marks an important historical and scientific moment for Cape Town and the whole world.
 
 
End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office