Replica of Shackleton's historic 1916 lifeboat James Caird, Ushuaia, Argentina.

A replica of Shackleton's famous lifeboat James Caird is in transit at the Port of Ushuaia, capital city of Tierra del Fuego Province, in Argentina, South America. The voyage of the James Caird, one of history's greatest small-boat journeys, was by open whaleboat from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 800 nautical miles (1500 km; 920 mi) across one of the world' s most treacherous seas. Undertaken by expedition leader Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions, its objective was to obtain rescue for the main body of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17, trapped on Elephant Island after the loss of their ship Endurance. On the temporary haven of Elephant Island, the expedition's carpenter, Harry McNish, improvised tools and materials to adapt the 22.5-foot (6.9 m) long James Caird, raising its sides and building a makeshift deck of wood and canvas, sealing the work with oil paints, lamp wick, and seal blood. The craft was further strengthened with a mast lashed inside along the length of her keel, and fitted with a mainmast and a mizzenmast, rigged to carry lugsails and a jib. Boat weight was increased by 1 long ton (1016 kg) of ballast, to lessen the risk of capsizing in the high seas that Shackleton knew would be encountered.

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Filename: 05ANT-10573.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 4500x3191 / 3.3MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Antarctica coast history ocean past sea transportation Patagonia
Contained in galleries: ANTARCTICA: Deception Island, whaling history, volcano, ARGENTINA: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia

A replica of Shackleton's famous lifeboat James Caird is in transit at the Port of Ushuaia, capital city of Tierra del Fuego Province, in Argentina, South America. The voyage of the James Caird, one of history's greatest small-boat journeys, was by open whaleboat from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 800 nautical miles (1500 km; 920 mi) across one of the world' s most treacherous seas. Undertaken by expedition leader Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions, its objective was to obtain rescue for the main body of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17, trapped on Elephant Island after the loss of their ship Endurance. On the temporary haven of Elephant Island, the expedition's carpenter, Harry McNish, improvised tools and materials to adapt the 22.5-foot (6.9 m) long James Caird, raising its sides and building a makeshift deck of wood and canvas, sealing the work with oil paints, lamp wick, and seal blood. The craft was further strengthened with a mast lashed inside along the length of her keel, and fitted with a mainmast and a mizzenmast, rigged to carry lugsails and a jib. Boat weight was increased by 1 long ton (1016 kg) of ballast, to lessen the risk of capsizing in the high seas that Shackleton knew would be encountered.