Shackleton cross makes 7,000-mile journey to Dundee

A poignant memorial to polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton from his unit has gone connected show successful Dundee aft a travel of much than 7,000 miles from the South Atlantic.

Shackleton died successful 1922 successful South Georgia during his last expedition. The Hope Cross was constructed by unit members who could not be his funeral.

The 3m (9.84ft) memorial is present connected show beside RRS Discovery, the vessel which archetypal took Shackleton to Antarctica successful 1901.

Its unveiling coincides with the merchandise of a caller documentary connected Shackleton's doomed Endurance expedition and the 2022 hunt for the sunken vessel.

The woody transverse stood for astir 100 years astatine King Edward Point, South Georgia, adjacent Grytviken, earlier it was replaced with a replica successful 2018 to sphere the archetypal memorial from the elements.

The archetypal transverse weighs astir 30kg (66lb) and was made with salvaged wood from a whaling station.

It was painted achromatic to support the wood, but decades of Antarctic upwind person returned it to its earthy state.

Dundee Heritage Trust practice manager Sophie Hinde said: "The Quest unit members had to permission Ernest down erstwhile helium passed distant to proceed connected the remainder of the expedition.

"There were thoughts that his assemblage would beryllium taken to England for a funeral, but it was really buried successful Grytviken and the unit enactment up the transverse due to the fact that they wanted him to beryllium memorialized."

Its distant determination meant fewer radical were antecedently capable to sojourn the memorial.

"If you wanted to spell down to South Georgia, the lone mode to bash it is connected a cruise ship. There aren't that many, and the play is rather short," said Ms Hinde

"We were approached by the South Georgia Heritage Trust, who had the transverse successful a warehouse aft it was taken down successful 2018 for conservation reasons.

"They conscionable wanted to springiness radical the abstraction to spot it."

The transverse was taken connected a three-month travel connected the RRS David Attenborough from Grytviken to Harwich, earlier being concisely stored astatine the British Antarctic Survey successful Cambridge.

Ms Hinde said: "Then we went down successful a van and collected it, truthful it's been rather a journey.

"It was really successful a precise bully condition."

Interest successful Shackleton's adventures remains precocious much than a period aft his death.

Ms Hinde said: "I deliberation a batch of radical admit his tone of adventure.

"He's astir apt champion known for his Endurance expedition, wherever helium rescued his unit aft their vessel had sunk successful the Antarctic winter.

"His enactment is simply a happening that radical travel backmost to again and again - the adventures that helium went connected are incredible."

Ernest Shackleton was calved successful County Kildare, Ireland, successful 1874.

In 1901, alongside explorer Robert Falcon Scott, helium got person to the South Pole than immoderate different European explorer.

Shackleton's astir celebrated ngo was his program to transverse the South Pole connected committee his vessel The Endurance.

In 1915, the vessel became trapped successful ice, and his unit abandoned ship, crossing onto floating ice, wherever they decided they were going to unrecorded until they could beryllium saved.

In April 1916, Shackleton took 5 unit members successful a tiny vessel successful hunt of assistance for the others, wherever they travelled 807 miles (1,300km) of water earlier reaching the land of South Georgia.

The past voyage Ernest Shackleton took was connected committee the Quest successful 1922.

He had planned to research Alaska and islands nearby, but mislaid his funding.

Instead, helium headed to the South Pole to research islands astir Antarctica but died of a bosom onslaught connected committee the ship, aged 47.

The Hope Cross is connected semipermanent indebtedness from the South Georgia Museum.

Ms Hinde said: "Antarctica from 1901 to 1904 is the main expedition that we speech astir here.

"But actually, the aboriginal property of Antarctic exploration ran close until this past expedition, the Quest successful 1922, truthful it rounds disconnected the stories that we archer her rather nicely."

Shackleton’s granddaughter Alexandra volition be a backstage rededication ceremonial to the transverse later.

She said: “I americium perfectly delighted to spot the transverse present successful a metropolis that my gramps knew truthful well.

"Our household is precise grateful to each who person made this possible.”