The Ship Beneath the Ice

The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance

De: Mensun Bound

Narrado por: Mensun Bound - preface, Charles Armstrong

"As thrilling as any tale from the heroic age of exploration. ... Bound’s account is a triumph. The storytelling is piano-wire taut, the writing saturated with polar moodiness." ― Sunday Times

The extraordinary story of how the Endurance, Ernest Shackleton's legendary lost ship, was found in the most hostile sea on Earth, told by the expedition's Director of Exploration.

On November 21, 1914, after sailing more than ten thousand miles from Norway to the Antarctic Ocean, the Endurance finally succumbed to the surrounding ice. Ernest Shackleton and his crew had navigated the 144-foot, three-masted wooden vessel to Antarctica to become the first to cross the barren continent, but early season pack ice trapped them in place offshore. They watched in silence as the ship’s stern rose twenty feet in the air and disappeared into the frigid sea, then spent six harrowing months marooned on the ice in its wake. Seal meat was their only sustenance as Shackleton’s expedition to push the limits of human strength took a new form: one of survival against the odds.

As this legendary story entered the annals of polar exploration, it inspired a new global race to find the wrecked Endurance, by all accounts “the world’s most unreachable shipwreck.” Several missions failed, thwarted, as Shackleton was, by the unpredictable Weddell Sea. Finally, a century to the day after Shackleton’s death, renowned marine archeologist Mensun Bound and an elite team of explorers discovered the lost shipwreck. Nearly ten thousand feet below the ice lay a remarkably preserved Endurance, its name still emblazoned on the ship’s stern.

The Ship Beneath the Ice chronicles two dramatic expeditions to what Shackleton called “the most hostile sea on Earth.” Bound experienced failure and despair in his attempts to locate the wreck, and, like Shackleton before him, very nearly found his vessel frozen in ice.

This inspiring modern-day adventure narrative captures the intrepid spirit that joins two mariners across the centuries—both of whom accomplished the impossible.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Mensun Bound (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Whopping good listen

Detailed and engaging telling of the two searches for Shackleton’s ship, interwoven with descriptions of a spectacular polar world.

If you follow Shackleton's exploration

Excellent narration, epic story, a must listen to follow up if you have read the book Endurance

Overcoming environmental obstacles

I enjoyed hearing about the overall experience involved in finding the Endurance. Overlaying the modern day difficulties with those endured by Shackleton’s efforts and tragedies, was enlightening and moving. I’m amazed by the fact that Shackleton didn’t lose any men, although the fact that they had to kill all their animals was incredibly sad for an animal lover like me. Still, the adventure and fortitude shown by both expeditions was fascinating to learn about. I have a BS in Archaeology but never used it. I ended up working in the environmental field. Even so, I love archaeology and was pleased that the author shared the details of this fascinating endeavor. He’s leading a remarkable life.

Captivating Story

An incredible story of history intertwined with discovery. Truly a captivating story thoughtfully narrated. You felt as if you were on board the dive expedition.

Exploration At Its Finest

What a fantastic read! I enjoyed the adventure of looking for the Endurance.

Mensun Bound takes the reader on a fabulous journey, looking for the wreck of the Endurance, and tracking Shackleton's adventure at the same time. There are ups and downs, as the first expedition hits several snags, leaving the crew dejected and upset over the lack of finding anything concrete. But the next try might yield better results, giving the team what they are looking for.

This book crosses between Shackleton and Bound, giving glimpses of the first journey, which was fraught with danger and unexpected hardships.

Loved this one immensely!

Great book

The accent of who reads this book is a little hard to get used to, but loved the book, story and content.

Fascinating, draws you in. An homage to history and exploration

Beautifully captures the experience of the search for the Endurance, while honoring the history of the expedition. The author shares the heartbreak and joy of "failure" and achievement. Beautiful narration as well.

Great story!

This is an amazing story that still shocks me us true. The story and relevant details are provided to paint a great picture of what was going on in each characters perspective. the only slight criticism, is there is some environmental criticism thrown in often in the book. While some might be relevant, it was distracting. Again, only SLIGHT criticism.

The perfect story of tenacity,courage,and optimism

This account by the director of exploration of two attempts to find the 100 year old wreckage of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship,the Endurance is extraordinary story telling. By describing both a failed attempt and the successful attempt at locating the ship the reader becomes another part of team aboard the icebreaker Argellis!

Adventurers and Narcissists

The quest for Shakelton’s Endurance was, for me, a combination of amazing explorers and narcissists. Shakelton himself could not function well without the incredible journeys he undertook. I am not sure I admire him or the author in their pursuit of a veritable Holy Grail. I have little sympathy for any trials they went through because they chose to be there, for discovery, yes, but also for the god of self. The author’s climate change drama seemed to contradict itself as he described the weather (still incredibly cold) new ice and old ice and the many creatures he observed, some in massive numbers. Shackleton’s crew killed a huge number of penguins, seals, their own dogs (and a cat), for food, this even, as the story reveals, after they had 6 to 8 months of stores in their hold. The image of an emperor penguin innocently being led to slaughter was very sad. Shackleton came upon an unknown wilderness and savaged it at times.