A breath-taking account on the discovery of the second most famous shipwreck in history
Author: Jukka Tuhkuri
Finnish original: Jään voima
Publisher: Siltala Publishing, 2024
Genre: non-fiction
Number of pages: 284 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English synopsis, English sample
At the dawn of 1910s, all the major conquests in the name of science and exploration seemed to have been accomplished: both North and South poles reached, Northeast Passage completed, Victoria Falls discovered. Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s restless soul, however, wasn’t about to give up. Traversing Antarctica from shore to shore was still up for grabs, and Shackleton wasn’t going to waste his time watching someone else do it.
This was the beginning of one of the most legendary expeditions of all times, entwined in tales and myths that have inspired numbers of books, films, and other works of art ever since. At the same time, hardly any evidence or real knowledge has been gathered about the reasons behind the sinking of Endurance, and only very few have reached even the proximity of history’s second most famous shipwreck.
In 2022, members of the international Endurance22 expedition team boarded an ice-breaking research ship built in Finland, with the mission to locate Endurance lying more than 3000 m deep beneath the surface of Weddell Sea – and succeeded.
In his book, a team member, ice researcher Jukka Tuhkuri, retells the Shackleton myth in a new light. In addition to the historical events leading to the original expedition, as well as his own experiences on the Antarctic journey, Tuhkuri sheds light on the work of polar researchers a hundred years ago and now. While scientists on Endurance tried to understand what sea ice is and how it moves, modern researchers consider how climate change is affecting it, and what it means to sea travels and our future.
“Jukka Tuhkuri was a vital member of the expedition to find Endurance. His knowledge, insights and advice helped to ensure success, and educated us all in the process. I am sure the international audience will be interested in reading his story on Endurance as a ship, how Endurance was crushed by ice, and finally lost.”
– Dan Snow, Creative Director of History Hit, a member of the Endurance22 expedition
About the author:
Jukka Tuhkuri