Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance

In mid-July, a massive blizzard moves in and hammers the ship “with gale force winds” (39). The crew is ordered not to leave Endurance except to feed the dogs. Shackleton starts to have his first doubts about ever reaching Antarctica, which he expresses to Frank Worsley. He worries that at some point they may be forced to continue on without the ship. When the storm is over, they survey the damage around them. The ice is now far more treacherous, having been “broken and fractured” by the enormous storm (39). The ice pack is also under the pressure of the wind and is being pushed more firmly against the ship. The ship makes loud creaking noises under the pressure.  

Although the sun finally comes out on July 26 and spring is on the way, the pressure of the ice on the ship only temporarily relaxes. The dogs are brought back on board because Dog Town is at the mercy of the shifting ice. At the end of August, the pressure returns. On September 30, an ice floe estimated by Worsley to be a million tons begins “bearing down on the ship from the port side” (42).