Who was the James Caird?
It was in the James Caird, a 23 foot whaler, that he and five companions made the epic open boat voyage of 800 miles (1,300 km) from Elephant Island, 500 miles (800 km) south of Cape Horn, to South Georgia during the Antarctic winter of 1916. It is fitting that the James Caird now rests in the College as a permanent celebration...
What was the route of the James Caird?
The voyage of the James Caird was a journey of 1,300 kilometres (800 mi) from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands through the Southern Ocean to South Georgia, undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions to obtain rescue for the main body of the stranded Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917.
When did the James Caird reach South Georgia?
A depiction of the James Caird landing at South Georgia at the end of its voyage on 10 May 1916. The voyage of the James Caird was a small-boat journey from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 1,300 km (800 mi).
Where is the James Caird on display?
The James Caird is now on display in the Laboratory at Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, London SE21 7LD. Trains run regularly from London Victoria to West Dulwich station, which is close to the College gates.
How long were they on the James Caird?
After 16 terrible days at sea, the James Caird sighted land at midday on Monday 8 May 1916. Even now they had completed 800 miles their task was by no means over.
Does the James Caird still exist?
The James Caird is now on display in the Laboratory at Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, London SE21 7LD. Trains run regularly from London Victoria to West Dulwich station, which is close to the College gates.
How many people were on the James Caird?
The journey of James Caird was born out of desperation following the sinking of Shackleton's ship, Endurance, in the ice-choked Weddell Sea. After spending over a year trapped on an ice-floe, the 28 men crammed into three small lifeboats and sailed to desolate Elephant Island, the nearest available landing place.
Who sailed on the James Caird?
Over a century ago, April 24th 1916, Ernest Shackleton and five of his expedition members set off on an epic 1,500 km voyage across the wild Southern Ocean in the small lifeboat James Caird. In a truly daring rescue effort, they sailed from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia.
Can you visit the James Caird?
The James Caird is on display and can be visited only with an escort. Public visits to the James Caird are offered at 11.30am on Fridays. To book, please contact Reception at [email protected].
How long were Shackleton's crew on Elephant Island?
Sir Ernest Shackleton, Endurance Voyage Timeline and MapEvent and key to mapTime since leaving EnglandDate9 Three crew members rescued from a beach on South Georgia21 months, 13 daysMay 21st 191610 Remainder of the crew rescued from Elephant Island24 months, 22 daysAugust 30th 19169 more rows
How did Endurance crew survive?
Endurance was slowly crushed by the moving ice, until Shackleton ordered the crew to abandon ship on Oct. 27, 1915. The ship sank shortly afterwards and the crew escaped with three lifeboats and limited supplies. Shackleton led his men through the shrinking ice pack for months while they tried to reach land.
Why is it called Elephant Island?
Some say Elephant Island got its name from the sighting of elephant seals along its shores; others suggest it comes from its appearance as an elephant head. But Shackleton's captain claimed it was a nickname given by the crew: “Hell-of-an-Island.”
Did they ever find the Endurance?
A team of researchers has discovered the wreck of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance vessel on the Antarctic sea floor. Carried out by the Endurance22 Expedition and announced this week by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, the exciting discovery puts an end to a century-old maritime mystery.
How long were Shackleton's crew stranded?
To the world, he was the hero who rescued the crew of the Endurance with "not a man lost." But Shackleton himself was haunted by the fate of the men of his expedition on the other side of Antarctica, stranded for more than two years.
What is the purpose of the voyage of the James Caird?
What was the point of the voyage on the James Caird (remember, it's a lifeboat). Was to sail all the way to south georgia island to the whaling stations to find help to rescue the rest of the sailors left at elephant island.
Why is Elephant Island famous?
The island was the desolate refuge of the British explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew in 1916 following the loss of their ship Endurance in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea.
Where is James Caird now?
How to Visit. The James Caird is now on display in the Laboratory at Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, London SE21 7LD.
Where was James Caird originally displayed?
The James Caird was brought back from the Antarctic to England in 1919, aboard the whaler Woodville, and was originally displayed in the gardens of the Middlesex Hospital and then the roof of Selfridges department store . In 1922 she was presented to Dulwich College by John Quiller Rowett, a school friend of Shackleton and sponsor ...
How big was the James Caird?
The James Caird would take a small crew in an attempt to reach their original starting point of the whaling station on South Georgia. The Caird was a 23-foot-long, double ended whaler weighing in at approx. one ton. She was the largest and most sea worthy of the six lifeboats carried by the Endurance.
What time does James Caird visit?
visits can be booked on Tuesdays in College term time between 9.30am and 11.30am (last admittance 11am) or between 2pm and 4pm (last admittance 3.30pm). The James Caird Society, a registered charity, was established in 1994 to preserve the memory and honor the remarkable feats and leadership of Shackleton.
How far did the Boss sail on the Endurance?
On that April day, “The Boss” chose the only remaining option, to sail across 800 miles of open Arctic sea in one of the three remaining lifeboats from the Endurance.
Who was the person who donated the Caird to Dulwich College?
How he was able to navigate to a small island in the middle of the arctic sea is astonishing. In 1922 John Quiller Rowett, who had been financing Shackleton’s last voyage aboard the Quest (Shackleton–Rowett Expedition) donated the Caird to Dulwich College after Shackleton’s death.
Who is John Bardell?
John Bardell is a professor at Dulwich but more importantly an enthusiastic supporter and follower of the Caird story. At the time we were there, John was the only person who gave tours of the Caird. Rick remembers: “There are introductions and handshakes and John is eager to get going.
Is the Caird still alive?
For us it’s amazing the Caird still exists at all. John explains, the boat is of course all original and intact. However, when the boat was recovered, and during the various years it spent bouncing from one owner to another, the sails, and the top decking had disappeared.
Where was Caird born?
Born at Stranraer, the son of James Caird and Isabella McNeil, Caird was educated at Edinburgh High School and University of Edinburgh. He was Member of Parliament for Dartmouth from 1857 to 1859 and for Stirling Burghs from 1859 to 1865.
Why did Caird travel to India?
Caird travelled to India from October 1878 to join a commission of famine inspectors. He held opinions that the Indian administrators did not appreciate. He was of the opinion that famine relief should be aimed to save life and was against fitness tests and wage payment against work for Indians.
How deep was the James Caird?
The boat was buffeted by mountainous and tempestuous seas. Ice built up on the decking, fifteen inches (750mm) deep, threatening to overturn the James Caird. Hour by hour, frostbitten and numbed with cold, they had to chip away from the vessel. At other times they were forced to bale for dear life.
Where was James Caird brought back from?
The James Caird was brought back from the Antarctic to England in 1919, aboard the whaler Woodville, and was originally displayed in the gardens of the Middlesex Hospital and then the roof of Selfridges department store. In 1922 she was presented to Dulwich College by John Quiller Rowett, a school friend of Shackleton and sponsor of his last expedition aboard the Quest. Both men were old boys of Dulwich College.
Why did Shackleton choose James Caird?
Shackleton chose the James Caird for the task as she was the largest and most seaworthy of the three boats and McNeish, the carpenter, set about converting her for the immense task ahead. Read less.
What was James Caird's only solace?
At other times they were forced to bale for dear life. Their only solace was four- hourly hot meals and the glimmer of a tiny primus stove. Their discomfort, hunched below in the James Caird’s cramped hold, must have been absolute.
How long did it take the explorers to reach Stromness?
They traversed two snowfields, four glaciers and three mountain ranges, covering 40 miles in 36 hours and arriving in Stromness in the early hours of 20 May.
What was James Caird's interest in?
Caird was noted for his interest in providing financial aid for scientific research. He was one of the sponsors of Sir Ernest Shackleton 's ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1914 to 1916. The ship's boat, the James Caird, in which six of Shackleton's expedition made an epic voyage of 800 nautical miles ...
Who was James Key Caird?
The Caird grave, Dean Cemetery. Sir James Key Caird, 1st Baronet (7 January 1837 – 9 March 1916) was a Scottish jute baron and mathematician. He was one of Dundee's most successful entrepreneurs, who used the latest technology in his Ashton and Craigie Mills. Caird was noted for his interest in providing ...
Where is Caird buried?
The baronetcy became extinct upon his death. He is buried with his father in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh just west of the central roundel, under a modest stone. .
Where did James Caird make his fortune?
He gave both the Caird Hall, which dominates City Square, and Caird Park in the north of city to the people of Dundee which also includes Mains Castle also known as Fintry Castle. The Marryat Hall, given by his sister Mrs Emma Grace ...
Who was the head of Caird's Dundee?
In 1870 James Caird succeeded his father as head of Caird (Dundee) Ltd. Under his leadership Ashton Works was re-built, expanded and equipped with the latest machinery. In 1905 the firm also took over Craigie Works, which had formerly supplied Caird with much of his yarn. Eventually the two works employed 2,000 hands.
How much money did James Caird give to the Dundee Royal Infirmary?
In 1902 Caird offered £18,500 to the directors of the Dundee Royal Infirmary so they could erect a hospital for the treatment of cancer.
Where was James Caird in the Antarctic?
It was in the James Caird, a 23 foot whaler, that he and five companions made the epic open boat voyage of 800 miles (1,300 km) from Elephant Island, 500 miles (800 km) south of Cape Horn, to South Georgia during the Antarctic winter of 1916. It is fitting that the James Caird now rests in the College as a permanent celebration ...
When is James Caird open?
Public visits to the James Caird are offered at 11.30am on Fridays. To book, please contact Reception at [email protected]. Visitors are asked to wear a mask and to bring along evidence of a recent negative Lateral Flow Test.
Why was James Caird Society established?
The James Caird Society, a registered charity, was established in 1994 to preserve the memory and honour the remarkable feats and leadership of Shackleton. Lord Shackleton, son of the explorer, was the Society's Life President until his death in 1994.
What happened to James Caird?
Shackleton was at the tiller soon after, when James Caird was struck by a “mighty upheaval” of the ocean when a gigantic wave, probably caused by the break-up of a large iceberg, struck and threw the vessel around like toy. All hands bailed frantically as water poured over the sides and afterwards no one quite understood how the Caird had survived.
What was James Caird's journey?
After spending over a year trapped on an ice-floe, the 28 men crammed into three small lifeboats and sailed to desolate Elephant Island, the nearest available landing place.
How many times did the men risk their lives to hack at the ice?
Despite the shrieking wind and heaving seas, the men crawled across the slippery canvas deck covering to chip away at the ice, clinging on with one hand and in constant fear of being thrown into the water. Three times the men risked their lives venturing out to hack at the ice and the relief was enormous when the boat slowly began to rise freely.
Who guided the Caird to the Caird?
Amid the turmoil of heavy seas, Worsley, the consummate navigator, took only four sightings with a sextant as he guided the Caird towards their goal. Finally, on May 8, the mountains of South Georgia were spotted through a break in the clouds. It was the fifteenth day at sea and food and water were close to running out.
Who commanded the small open boat that sailed across the ocean?
The remarkable journey of James Caird, the small open boat commanded by Ernest Shackleton to sail across the wild Southern Ocean in 1916, is among the greatest sea voyages ever recorded. By polar historian Michael Smith.
How long did it take for Shackleton to break through the ice?
Shackleton needed four attempts spread over four and half challenging months to break through the ice and reach the castaways. It was 128 days since James Caird’s departure. As he rowed ashore on August 30, 1916, an anxious Shackleton called out to see if all hands had survived. “We are all well, Boss,” they called back.
What is the purpose of the voyage of James Caird?
The voyage of the James Caird illustrates perfectly the determination and unmitigated loyalty the group possessed , when six brave souls would pit themselves against the might of the Weddell Sea, in an effort to ensure that all would return home to a world that unbeknownst to them, had changed utterly, to the one they had left behind.
Where were the expedition men stranded?
The 28 men of the Endurance were stranded on Elephant Island, having reached the desolate outcrop on April 16th, after an utterly gruelling seven day voyage. They had sailed there in three lifeboats, salvaged from the expedition ship, before it was crushed and sunk, by the ice floes that had held it captive for months.
What happened on April 24th 1916?
April 24th 1916 was Easter Monday, the day that an Irish rebellion against British occupation added yet another battle to the theatre of bloodshed, and in Britain a German Zeppelin raid on the Norfolk and Suffolk coast killed one person and injured another. *. The men of the Endurance had faced their own battles.
What happened to the three men waiting under the upturned James Caird?
The three men waiting under the upturned James Caird were picked up the next day, and the following day Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean left for Elephant Island on the Norwegian whaler Southern Sky. Pack ice forced this boat to turn back, as well as the next rescue vessel, a Uruguayan trawler.
When did McCarthy see the black cliffs?
On the morning of May 8, about 10 o'clock, a little bit of kelp was passed. An hour later two birds were seen sitting on a big mass of kelp, and at 12:30 p.m., McCarthy caught a glimpse of the black cliffs of South Georgia, just fourteen days after departing Elephant Island.
How long did the Shackleton ship stay on ice?
The fifty-six-man crew survived as castaways on the ice for five months, after which Shackleton led them some 180 miles to the relative safety of Elephant Island.
Who was the greatest Antarctic explorer?
Shackleton is remembered as perhaps the greatest of the Antarctic explorers, less for his achievements than for his unfaltering leadership and courage under unthinkably grueling circumstances. As the question remained concerning their rescue, the whaling station on South Georgia seemed the only answer.
