Q&A with John Shears and Nico Vincent about Endurance

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to search for a lost ship beneath the icy waters of the Antarctic? Well, now’s your chance to find out! In October, we opened the floor to our social media followers to ask Dr John Shears and Nico Vincent their burning questions about the Endurance22 expedition. Their book about Endurance was launched last weekend at SPRI and it can be purchased in our shop. 

Out of the many scanned images obtained was there one that stood out for John and Nico? 

Nico: Over the long months of post processing, our data manager Pierre Le Gall got the idea to enhance each 4K images by using AI. Then he used this new set to rebuild a photogrammetry. Thanks to his fantastic job, we saw for the first time a telescope and a sewing machine.

John: The image that stood out for me was the image of the flare gun on the deck. We know from Shackleton’s and Hurley’s diaries that they used the gun to fire a detonator to salute the vessel before she sank. Hurley writing in his book Argonauts of the South (1925): “On November 8 we paid the final official visit to the remnant of the Endurance. From the shattered poop we fired a detonator to salute the ensign that still fluttered over the heap of fragmentary timbers and twisted rails. And so we left her.” It is incredible that the gun remains on the deck just where it was left by Hurley 109 years ago!

Having seen the film, I admire your perseverance and dogged determination to find the ship. What measures are now in place to protect the area, and do you intend to go back? 

Nico: I’ll let John share extra info. The UK Government has launched a conservation management plan of the wreck that has been approved by Antarctica commission that lead the Antarctic Treaty. The wreck is now strongly protected. I would love to go back. We found the wreck so late that we have not able to complete the debris field. We may as well try to fly inside the wreck with new technology. We just need a… sponsor.

John: The Endurance is protected as a Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty. The designation means the ship cannot be disturbed or anything removed, including all artefacts contained within or formerly contained within the ship, which may be lying on the seabed in or near the wreck within a 1500m radius. This includes all fixtures and fittings associated with the ship, including ship’s wheel, bell, etc. The designation also includes all items of personal possessions left on the ship by the ship’s company at the time of its sinking. Earlier this year the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust released a Conservation Management Plan for Endurance. The Plan sets out how the wreck will be managed, conserved and protected now and in the future. Nico and I worked closely with the UKAHT, and marine experts at Historic England, to help draft the Plan.

As Nico says, we would love to go back to the wreck. There is still work to do. A full survey needs to be made of the debris field around the wreck, and it would be amazing if we could use the latest subsea technology and deploy a mini-AUV to dive inside the wreck!

How many dives were you able to make to acquire the scans and photographs of Endurance? And would more dives reveal further details or are you at the edge of current technology? 

Nico: Only 2 dives have been possible on the wreck. Unfortunately, only 8 hours have been spent on top of her. But thanks to the very efficient 3D sensor we made a facsimile with 1mm resolution. Extra time would allow us to spend time inside the wreck or over the debris field that has not been surveyed.

John: Nico is correct. We only had time for 2 Sabertooth AUV dives on the wreck. Nico and his subsea team did a fantastic job scanning and filming the ship in such a short time. More dives would certainly reveal further information, especially about the debris field around the wreck. Close-up dives on the wreck itself would give marine biologists the chance to study in detail the amazing deep sea marine creatures living on it.

Will the scans and images of the Endurance eventually be publicly accessible?  

Nico: Deep Ocean Search has worked closely during a year for FMHT to produce a full online GIS (Geographical Information System) where all data are visible online including 3D model. FMHT would open it soon to large audience. My hope will be as well for a large exhibition with mapping technology. It would be a dream to have people walking on the deck of Endurance.

John: I very much hope so. The online GIS produced by DOS for the FMHT is stunning. It includes the digital 3D model of the wreck at 1mm resolution, which would allow people to use Virtual Reality headsets to walk on the deck or take a stroll on the seabed around the ship!