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Ernest Shackleton died aboard the ship Quest in 1922. The wreck of Quest was found in the Labrador Sea in 2024, and a 2026 expedition returned to capture the first close-up images of it. Those are two different milestones: the ship was located by sonar in 2024; the later visit documented its condition and surroundings.
Where was Shackleton’s ship Quest found?
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) announced on June 12, 2024, that its Shackleton Quest Expedition had located the wreck in the Labrador Sea off Newfoundland and Labrador. The expedition said the ship was found on June 9, at a depth of 390 metres and about 2.5 kilometres from Quest’s last reported position. These figures were reported by RCGS in 2024.
The search team used sonar after archival and historical research. David Mearns, the expedition’s search director, said: “I can definitively confirm that we have found the wreck of the Quest. She is intact.” The discovery announcement and figures are from RCGS’s June 12, 2024 announcement.
What did the 2026 expedition add?
In July 2026, RCGS and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) returned to the site with the human-occupied submersible Alvin and a remotely operated vehicle. RCGS described this as the first close-up visual survey of the wreck. The team documented the hull and surrounding site with the goal of creating a digital twin.
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- Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, paperback
According to the expedition’s account, the images showed the bow, deck, portholes and fallen mast, as well as marine life and fishing nets tangled around the wreck. These are observations reported by the expedition, not an independent assessment of the site. John Geiger, expedition leader and RCGS CEO, recalled seeing the ship: “To see Shackleton’s ship, and to think that Shackleton was standing on that deck a century ago.” The July 2026 survey is described in RCGS’s report and WHOI’s release on the expedition.
How did Shackleton die aboard Quest?
Shackleton died of a heart attack aboard Quest on January 5, 1922, aged 47. The ship was anchored off Grytviken, South Georgia, during the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition, a planned Antarctic voyage of exploration. The Natural History Museum’s account places his death in the context of the expedition and its scientific work; RCGS also records his age and the circumstances in its discovery announcement.
Why was the voyage called the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition?
Quest had initially been acquired for a Canadian Arctic expedition. When Canadian government backing was withdrawn, philanthropist John Quiller Rowett financed an Antarctic voyage instead. The revised project became the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition. The Natural History Museum’s account of Shackleton’s last expedition explains the change in plans and the voyage’s purpose.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to Quest after Shackleton’s death?
Quest was built in Risør, Norway, in 1917 as the wooden-hulled sealer Foca 1, then renamed Quest. After Shackleton’s death, it returned to Norwegian ownership and went on to serve in Arctic exploration, rescue work, wartime service and sealing.
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On May 5, 1962, ice damaged Quest in the Labrador Sea and the ship sank. Its crew survived. The sinking was four decades after Shackleton’s death, a separate event from the discovery of the wreck in 2024. RCGS summarizes the ship’s construction and later service in its account of the discovery.
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