First Images of Shackleton's Final Ship Quest Revealed
The Royal Canadian Geographic Society has released the first images of the Quest shipwreck, the polar exploration vessel used by Sir Ernest Shackleton on his last voyage. The ship sank in 1962 and was discovered in 2024.
More than six decades after it sank, the wreck of the Quest—the vessel that carried explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on his final expedition—has been photographed for the first time. The images, published by Canadian Geographic magazine, were released by the Royal Canadian Geographic Society (RCGS). The Quest had been located in 2024, but these are the first visuals of the wreck.
Shackleton is best remembered for the ill-fated Endurance expedition, during which his ship was crushed by ice in 1914. Despite the loss, Shackleton and his crew survived. The Endurance wreck was finally discovered in 2022.
After returning from that ordeal, Shackleton faced financial difficulties and struggled to fund another expedition. An old school friend, John Quillier Rowett, provided the necessary funds. Shackleton purchased a Norwegian whaler originally named Foca I, later renamed Quest by his wife, Emily.
The Quest was extensively refitted for Antarctic exploration. Upgrades included a new deckhouse, a heated crow's nest, a wireless set, an automatic route-charting odograph, a Lucas deep-sea sounding machine, a collection of cameras and photographic equipment, and even a small airplane.
The expedition set sail in 1921. Shackleton fell ill shortly after leaving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in late December. He had begun drinking heavily to manage pain. The Quest reached South Georgia on January 4, 1922, where Shackleton made his final diary entry before retiring. He died later that night.
The recently released images offer a glimpse of the shipwreck resting on the ocean floor, more than 60 years after it sank.
