Ernest Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish explorer to the Antarctic. His ship the "Endurance" departed in October of 2015. Conditions grew worse as the "Endurance" became frozen in the ice floe. Their ship sunk and for months Shackleton and his men camped on the ice floe. Finally, fourteen months later the ice cracked and they were able to escape on lifeboats.
After six harrowing days at sea they landed at Elephant Island. Shackelton had such loyal concern for his men that he gave his mittens to his photographer who lost his at sea. Shackleton suffered frostbite because of it.
At Elephant Island, Shackleton picked five men to risk a journey 800 miles back to South Georgia in a twenty foot boat. They sealed the boat with oil paint and seal blood. He sailed at the mercy of the stormy seas in constant peril of capsizing. They miraculously made it to South Georgia but they landed on the wrong side of the island. They still had to make it to the whaling station.
Shackleton picked two men to hike extremely dangerous mountainous terrain for 36 hours. They reached the other side of the island and he kept his promise to save his men alive. All three men said they had this uncanny feeling that there was a fourth man with them in the mountains. Twenty-one months later they all were rescued.
Shackleton said, "Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all. When I look back at those days I have no doubt that Providence guided us."
There is a true story of Ernest Shackleton
Who pressed on when all hope was done
"By endurance we conquer" was his family's motto
27 men to frigid Antarctica would soon follow
Shackleton and his men embarked on their mission
Sailing forth on this dangerous expedition
This journey demanded fortitude from these men
As they faced extreme difficulty again and again
This 144 foot vessel would make the trip
Not knowing they would have to survive without the ship
This treacherous voyage came at a great price
As the "Endurance" became trapped in the ice
The ship hull cracked under great pressure
But the strength of these men no one could measure
Though the hull cracked Shackleton was sure
In spite of the elements they would endure
The ship eventually sunk but these men were tenacious
He wrote that they possessed their souls in patience
14 months on the ice in the bitter cold
With gale force winds and frostbite to behold
The ice eventually cracked and freedom took shape
The men launched the boats and were able to escape
As these small lifeboats were set out in motion
They endured the freezing spray from the ocean
They pressed on surviving this harrowing mission
As strong men were brought to the fetal position
At times it felt like there was nothing to gain
As half of these men had become insane
Pressing forward on under Shackleton's command
After six grueling days they finally spotted land
Elephant Island now appeared in the distance
These men arrived there because of their persistence
They had overcome the journey in the ocean deep
Persevering on 80 hours of no sleep
Shackleton persisted and kept his composure
But the whole ordeal was far from over
The chance of being spotted was vanishingly small
So five brave men with Shackleton answered the call
After nine necessary days of rest and recuperation
These six courageous men made preparations
They had been heroic through their present trials
But now they had to sail 800 miles
Shackleton gave all for his men to survive
Shackleton gave all to get his men out alive
These lionhearted men set out with no delays
Their turbulent trip took 16 prolonged days
They fought angry winds and monstrous swells
Beating ice off the sails as history tells
Ultimately, they made it to South Georgia's shore
But in being rescued they still had to do more
In the gale a diversion happened with the wind force
Their lifeboat had been blown way off course
They landed on South Georgia's wrong side
Between them and safety was a mountainous divide
Three of the men camped out along the shore
While Shackleton and two others set out for more
All these men had was an axe and a 50 foot rope
But they kept pressing on believing there was hope
As they began this hike of total desperation
God looked down on them and saw their situation
One part of this story Shackleton didn't fail to discuss
He wrote "I know that providence had guided us"
The men in the mountains felt something quite odd
Later he wrote it was the presence of God
Each of the three exploring men later would agree
They felt there was four of them and not just three
Just like the three men in the fiery furnace of old
Again this mysterious visitor these men would behold
Finally, at the whaling station arrived this sailor
The first one to greet him was a Norwegian whaler
"Who are you?" is where this whaler had begun
He answered quietly, "My name is Shackleton"
The shocked whaler turned away and wept
But Shackleton's promise he had kept
To get all his men off of the frozen ice alive
Because of his endurance they would all survive
But deliverance was more than his own plan
His survival starts with that mysterious fourth man