New National Geographic documentary about Disney+, Resistance, shows the search for the famous explorer’s remains, Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship and offers information about his involvement in two previous Antarctic expeditions. The documentary follows archaeologist Mensun Bound’s expedition as he and his crew search for the remains of Shackleton’s ship. Resistancewhich sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915. Resistance follows the crew’s determination to locate the ship while also describing the trials that Shackleton and his Resistance the crew was forced to hold out in Antarctica to survive more than 100 years ago.
The documentary shows as Resistance became trapped in the ice and ended up sinking in 1915. Shackleton and his crew survived 589 days, traveling 800 miles across Antarctica to South Georgia before they were finally rescued in 1916. After Shackleton’s experience with the ResistanceHe served in the British Army and continued his expeditions until his death in 1922. It could be argued that his earlier experiences in Antarctica helped Shackleton on his fascinating journey of survival in 1915.
Sir Ernest Shackleton was part of the discovery expedition
Shackleton suffered from illness during his first trip to Antarctica
Before your trip to ResistanceShackleton was part of two different Antarctic expeditions. Put Britishhe was working as a warrant officer in the Royal Naval Reserve when he joined the Discovery Expedition in 1901; he served as third officer to the expedition’s appointed leader, Captain Robert Falcon Scott. In the documentary, expedition leader Dr. John Shears claims that Shackleton had the ability to persuade Scott to take “a merchant navy to Antarctica” and appoint him as Third Officer.
Shackleton’s time on the Discovery Expedition lasted two years, with him, Scott and Edward Wilson traveling a distance of 960 miles across Antarctica. All three men suffered seriously from scurvy and frostbite; Shackleton’s condition was so bad that Scott decided to send him back to the relief ship in 1903. Shackleton was angry and embarrassed at having to return home, especially after Scott’s remaining team became the first to discover the Plateau. Polar (via Antarctic Heritage Fund). According to the documentary, Shackleton”I never forgot or forgave Scott for invalidating him in Antarctica.“ He and Scott remained distant from each other until Scott’s death in Antarctica during his Terra Nova Expedition in 1912.
How Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition Almost Changed History
Shackleton almost became the first person to reach the South Pole
Despite the problems he faced on the Discovery Expedition, Shackleton wanted to explore Antarctica further. In 1907, he raised enough money and public interest to finance his own expedition, which was called the Nimrod Expedition (via BBC). Shackleton’s team carried out scientific experiments and came within 160 kilometers of the South Pole before deciding to return. In ResistanceShears stated that Shackleton knew that “If he had traveled that last distance, the men under his command would have died.”
If Shackleton had chosen to travel further, he could have been the first man to reach the South Pole. However, he chose the well-being of his crew over his target and turned back.
By the time of the Nimrod Expedition, Shackleton’s crew had traveled the greatest distance across Antarctica; If Shackleton had chosen to travel further, he could have been the first man to reach the South Pole. However, he chose the well-being of his crew over his target and turned back. Shackleton’s distance records were later broken by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who reached the South Pole in 1911.
Regardless, Shackleton’s achievements on the Nimrod Expedition were widely celebrated; he was knighted by Edward VII and received a silver Polar Medal for his success. Shackleton’s persistence and loyalty to his crew showed his strength as an expedition leader and, as portrayed in the Resistance, it was essential to his survival in Antarctica after the loss of his ship.
Sources: British, Antarctic Heritage Fund, BBC