The wreck of the last ship belonging to famed Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, The Quest, has been discovered off the coast of Labrador in Canada, 62 years after it went missing. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society led an international team that located the wreck using sonar scans. The ship was found sitting on its keel under 390 meters (1,280 feet) of water, with its mast lying broken beside it, likely cracked off when the vessel struck ice on May 5, 1962.
Sir Ernest Shackleton's death aboard The Quest in 1922 marked the end of the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration. Shackleton led three British expeditions to the Antarctic and was preparing for a fourth when he passed away at the age of 47.
The discovery of The Quest is considered profoundly moving by expedition leader John Geiger, as it links Canada to the legacy of the renowned polar explorer. The Norwegian-built ship, used for Arctic research and sealing after Shackleton's death, appears to be in remarkable condition despite the damage sustained upon impact with the seabed.
The next phase of the exploration will involve sending remotely operated vehicles to capture images of the ship's remains. This discovery comes after the recent finding of Shackleton's ship, The Endurance, in the icy waters of the Weddell Sea near the Antarctica Peninsula.
The Endurance22 expedition, which included over 100 researchers and crew members, utilized an icebreaker ship and underwater drones to locate the wreck of The Endurance, which sank in 1915. Shackleton's ambition to cross Antarctica via the South Pole was never realized, as he did not set foot on the continent during the failed Endurance expedition, despite his earlier voyages to Antarctica.
