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38:53
The Greatest Survival Story in Human History | Dhruv Rathee
Dhruv Rathee
·
May 11, 2026
Open on YouTube
Transcript
0:00
Hello, friends!
0:00
On 4th November 1914,
0:02
the British ship Endurance,
0:04
crossed stormy seas,
0:06
and was moving
towards the world's most
0:09
dangerous and mysterious continent,
Antarctica.
0:14
A crew of 28 people
was aboard this ship.
0:17
The command was led by an
explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton.
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0:21
He desired to achieve that
which no one else had ever before.
0:25
To walk across the
continent of Antarctica.
0:31
You heard it right, friends.
0:33
In a time with no smartphone,
no GPS, no modern technology,
0:37
in the temperatures as brutal
as -50°C on this icy continent,
0:41
in the midst of snowstorms,
0:43
from one edge to the another,
0:45
he wanted to cross
this continent on foot.
0:47
He planned to reach the
coast of Antarctica on this ship
0:51
through the Weddell Sea.
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0:52
Look at the map.
0:54
Their plan was to
land here exactly
0:56
and start trekking
to the South Pole,
0:59
crossing which, he would then
walk across to the Ross Sea.
1:03
In total, this trek
spanned 2,900 km.
1:06
If everything went
according to the plan,
1:08
it would've taken
about 120 days to finish.
1:11
But how badly
did this plan fail,
1:14
and the struggles they endured,
1:16
neither they nor you
can imagine it, friends.
1:29
On 5th November 1914,
1:31
Endurance reached a whaling
station on the South Georgia Island.
1:35
This was the last human
settlement on their way.
1:39
If you look at the map,
1:40
this group of islands is present
near the tip of South America.
1:43
Just south of them is the
protruding part of Antarctica.
1:46
This is called the
Antarctica Peninsula.
1:49
Beside it is the Weddell Sea.
1:51
A sea that is surrounded
by Antarctica on three sides.
1:55
Because of this, the ice
cannot flow out easily.
1:58
And there is a dense
permanent layer of ice.
2:01
The weather was bad that day.
2:03
So were the conditions
in the Weddell Sea.
2:05
People told Shackleton
to delay this mission.
2:10
Because continuing in those
conditions would be very risky.
2:13
But Shackleton insisted.
2:15
It didn't matter to him
and they continued.
2:20
5th December 1914.
2:22
Endurance kept moving forward
2:24
and soon, their
worst fears came true.
2:27
The ice in Weddell Sea was much
heavier and denser than expected.
2:30
But Shackleton
kept moving forward.
2:33
18th January 1915.
2:35
After sailing along the
edges of the ice for a while,
2:37
the ship got stuck completely.
2:44
A few days later,
some crew members
2:46
saw a 15 feet long chasm in the ice
about 50 metres away from the ship.
2:49
This chasm was their
last hope to get free.
2:53
For three hours, the ship was
driven at full speed of the engines,
2:57
to try and get out of the ice.
3:03
But the ship didn't
even budge an inch.
3:05
The crew members
got out of the ship
3:07
and tried to cut through the ice
with the tools they had at hand.
3:10
But they failed.
3:11
Gradually, the ice sheet
on which this ship was stuck,
3:14
was drifting further
away from the land.
3:17
The point on Antarctica where
the crew was planning to land
3:20
is called the Vahsel Bay.
3:22
But this ship was
drifting further away.
3:25
They drifted away 60 miles.
3:27
The problem was that
3:28
there was water between the
ice sheet and the Vahsel Bay.
3:32
So the crew couldn't simply
get down and walk to the Bay.
3:35
And on the other hand,
the ship was stuck in the ice.
3:40
Months and weeks passed
by trying to get the ship out.
3:48
They knew that
winter was coming.
3:50
And there, winter means
24 hours of darkness.
3:54
For weeks and months, they won't
get even a single minute of sunlight.
3:57
Shackleton ordered everyone
to spend the winter on the ship.
4:01
But winter meant that it
would get even more colder.
4:03
There'd be snowfall
and snowstorms.
4:06
The ship was under
increasing pressure of the ice.
4:09
A photographer, Frank Hurley, was
also present on this ship with his camera.
4:13
These photos were
taken by him then.
4:16
In these you can clearly see
how the ice surrounding the ship,
4:19
was crushing it.
4:21
On 30th September 1915,
4:23
cracks were visible on the ship.
4:26
But the crew hadn't lost hope.
4:28
On 24th October
1915, at 6:45 PM,
4:32
suddenly, due to the
immense pressure,
4:38
the ice sheet broke apart and
one of the pieces hit the ship.
4:41
A heavy piece of ice broke
Endurance's stern post,
4:45
and water began
to seep into the ship.
4:47
The crew members
set to work immediately.
4:49
They tried to
pump out the water.
4:52
They kept at it for
3 days continuously.
4:56
But the water was seeping in
faster than it could be pumped out.
5:00
The temperature was at -8.5°C.
5:03
But the crew was neither
scared nor nervous.
5:07
Some of them tried to loosen
the ice sheet surrounding the ship,
5:10
to reduce the pressure on it.
5:11
But this didn't work either.
5:14
Water kept on
seeping into the ship.
5:16
Quite rapidly.
5:17
While the pressure of the ice
on the ship wasn't decreasing.
5:20
Finally, Shackleton, gave up,
5:22
and ordered the
crew to leave the ship.
5:25
To de-board.
5:30
Looking at the situation, a
crew member, Tom McLeod, said,
5:33
that none of them would
get back to their home.
5:37
The ship had been stuck
for more than 9 months.
5:40
On 27th October 2015,
5:42
a loud explosion was heard.
5:46
When Shackleton turned back to
witness something truly shocking.
5:50
The ship's rear had
suddenly risen 20 feet.
5:54
The rudder and
stern post broke apart.
5:56
The ship's wooden parts
started disintegrating.
5:58
And the front of the
ship was filled with water.
6:01
Thankfully, the crew members had
already abandoned the ship by then.
6:06
After a while, the
water turned into ice.
6:08
And because of this added weight,
the front of the ship began sinking.
6:13
As the ship sunk,
6:15
so did Shackleton's dream
of crossing Antarctica by foot.
6:21
But something much
precious was at stake now.
6:24
Could they return alive?
6:27
The crew had no radio, no telephone,
no means to contact the rest of the world.
6:32
They were stuck on an ice
sheet in the Antarctic Ocean.
6:36
An ice sheet
floating in the water.
6:41
On this sheet, there
was a big rock of ice,
6:44
the crew set up
their camp there.
6:46
First, they decided to check
account of their belongings.
6:48
What did they have with them?
6:50
How much food and
water did they have?
6:53
They found that they
had three small boats.
6:56
One sledge, with which they
could move on the ice sheet.
6:59
Some important
personal items of the crew,
7:01
and about one month's ration.
7:03
Only one month's food.
7:05
There was only a little
place to sleep at night.
7:07
So many had to sleep on the ice.
7:10
Most of them
slept close together
7:12
to avoid being frozen.
7:14
It was nearly impossible for a
ship passing by to find them there.
7:19
Because they were
in the Antarctic Ocean.
7:21
No other ship ventured there.
7:23
It had been over an year since
they last saw other humans.
7:26
The rest of the world didn't even
know for sure if they were alive or not.
7:29
Neither could they
send any messages.
7:31
Nor did they expect any help.
7:33
Shackleton had only one thing.
7:35
Faith on his skills
and experience.
7:39
But how long could this faith
keep him and his crew alive?
7:42
What would they do once
they used up the food?
7:46
Setting up a camp on the ice
wasn't an infallible solution either.
7:48
Because the ice
could break at any time.
7:50
They needed land.
7:51
Shackleton ran his
calculations and estimations.
7:54
He believed that the nearest
land was the Paulet Island.
7:59
About 550 km across the icy sea.
8:03
An island at the
tip of Antarctica.
8:06
Ironically, in 1903,
8:08
after a Swedish ship got stuck, some rescue
gear was left behind on Paulet Island.
8:12
So that if another ship got
stuck in Antarctica in the future,
8:15
they could rely on
this island for rescue.
8:18
That gear had been bought
by Shackleton himself.
8:20
And, 12 years later,
Shackleton needed it the most.
8:24
The crew collectively decided
to try to go to the Paulet Island.
8:28
Carrying their stuff
with them on the sledge.
8:32
And so Shackleton ordered
8:33
that each person was allowed to carry
only up to 2 pounds of necessary luggage.
8:37
Many of them had brought
their personal items from the ship.
8:41
But Shackleton reminded them that
nothing was more precious than their life.
8:45
Shackleton left behind some
gold coins and his Bible in the snow.
8:50
The photographer Frank Hurley
had taken around 400 photos.
8:53
He had the negatives
of the photos,
8:55
but because of the
2 pound restriction,
8:57
he could carry only
150 negatives with him.
9:00
These 150 photos later presented
this historical event to the world.
9:06
A few weeks later, due
to the shortage of food,
9:08
the puppies living with
the crew had to be killed.
9:11
They had nothing else to eat.
9:23
After a few days of preparation, the
goods were loaded onto boats and sledges.
9:28
Each boat weighed about 1 tonne.
9:30
It wasn't easy to pull them.
9:32
Fate wasn't on their side.
9:34
Because by then, summer
had returned to Antarctica,
9:38
and temperatures
were increasing.
9:39
Causing the surface of the
ice sheet to became softer
9:42
making it difficult
to pull their luggage.
9:44
After 3 hours of hard work,
9:46
when the crew looked back
9:48
they saw that they
had crossed only 1 mile.
9:52
The road ahead
kept getting worse.
9:54
Shackleton decided to camp there
9:57
until this ice sheet
floated closer to land.
10:01
The ice sheet on which
they set up their camp,
10:03
was later named Ocean Camp.
10:06
Shackleton delegated some work
to each and every crew member,
10:09
so that they won't be
bored or feel depressed.
10:12
On 21st November 2015,
10:14
the pressure on the rear of
Endurance had increased so much that
10:17
the ship began
bouncing on the water.
10:20
It was airborne for a while,
10:22
before sinking
completely under the ice.
10:29
The crew members were only a
few kilometres away from the ship.
10:32
They witnessed
this entire incident.
10:36
Although they had
already abandoned the ship,
10:38
but seeing it sink like this,
10:41
left a deep emotional
shock on them.
10:43
As if their last link with
the world had broken.
10:46
Only the ice sheet remained,
10:48
and the Ocean
Camp they built on it.
10:51
Over the next few
days, things went well.
10:53
But a few weeks later,
10:54
this ice sheet started
floating towards East.
10:58
Further away from land.
10:59
So on 23rd December 1915,
11:01
Shackleton decided to
leave the Ocean Camp.
11:04
And once again,
he decided to walk.
11:08
But after walking
a few kilometres,
11:10
suddenly, they were faced
with thin ice and water.
11:13
They could neither
move forward nor back.
11:17
Once again, they set
camp on this ice sheet.
11:21
Looking at the food shortage,
11:23
Shackleton put in
some strict controls.
11:25
The crew was given
one biscuit a day.
11:27
Some diluted milk, some
cocoa, and a small amount of
11:30
high-fat meat paste from
the cans they were carrying.
11:34
Apart from this, the crew started hunting
the seals and penguins they could find.
11:39
In reality, there was a
frightening food shortage,
11:41
but Shackleton would often lie to his
crew members about food quantities,
11:45
to keep them motivated.
11:47
"Don't worry, lads."
11:48
"There's enough
food to keep us alive."
11:50
He knew that if they wanted
to survive this situation,
11:54
it would take a long time.
11:55
As such, the thing
they'd need the most,
11:59
was mental strength.
12:00
This is true for
us too, friends.
12:02
To overcome most challenges,
12:05
you need to be mentally strong.
12:07
In India, a living
example of this is,
12:09
Dinaz Vervatwala.
12:10
In 2005, Dinaz faced a crisis.
12:13
There was a fire at her home.
12:15
In that fire, she suffered 53%
burns on her face and body.
12:19
Doctors had said that living a
normal life would be difficult for her.
12:22
But Dinaz turned that tragedy
into her biggest strength.
12:26
After she left the hospital bed,
she relied on her mental strength
12:30
to make a Guinness World
Record within a few years.
12:33
She surprised the world by
doing aerobics for 26 hours straight.
12:37
Today, Dinaz is not
only a fitness trainer,
12:40
she is one of the top coaches in
India for mental and physical fitness.
12:42
She has trained celebrities including
Olympic medallists and Bollywood stars.
12:47
Including many famous people.
12:49
Like Saina Nehwal, Pullela Gopichand,
actor Chiranjeevi, and Chandrababu Naidu.
12:54
But why am I talking
about Dinaz suddenly?
12:57
Because friends,
today, in this video,
13:00
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13:03
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13:06
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14:00
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The link will be in
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14:11
or you can scan
this QR code too.
14:13
Now let's get back to our topic.
14:15
For many months, they
lived in this new camp.
14:19
Thankfully, the ice sheet
moved in the right direction.
14:21
Days changed into weeks
and weeks into months.
14:25
Eventually, a new year begins.
14:28
And in the morning
of 23rd March 1916,
14:31
Shackleton could see
something beyond the fog.
14:34
As the fog cleared,
14:36
they could see mountains.
14:37
Shackleton recognised
it as the Joinville Island.
14:41
But being about to see
Joinville Island wasn't that great.
14:43
Because this island was located
at the very tip of the peninsula.
14:47
It meant that they had floated
so far on the ice sheet that
14:51
they had left Paulette
Island behind.
14:54
Joinville Island was only 57
miles away from Paulette Island.
14:58
But in the west, at
a 90-degree angle,
15:00
there was a lot of
ice in the middle.
15:02
It was nearly impossible
to cross this ice.
15:04
So, Shackleton
went back to his map.
15:07
He could see that if they
continued floating towards north,
15:11
there would be only two
more islands on the way.
15:14
Clarence Island
and Elephant Island.
15:16
After this, there would be nothing
but water for thousands of kilometres.
15:19
An ocean with waves so high,
15:22
that the chance of their survival
would go down to almost zero.
15:28
The water between the
southernmost tip of South America and
15:32
the northernmost tip of Antarctica
is called the Drake's Passage.
15:35
It is the most dangerous
water body in the world.
15:37
With waves as high as 12 metres.
15:40
More than 20,000
sailors have lost their lives
15:43
in Drake's Passage.
15:44
And over the years, there
have been at least 800 ships,
15:47
that have sunk in
this Drake's Passage.
15:49
Friends, even now in 2025,
15:52
if you try to cross
this passage on a ship,
15:55
you will see such scenes.
15:59
The Drake's Passage rocks
even the biggest cruise ships.
16:05
So yes, Shackleton knew that
16:07
if they reached Drake's
Passage floating on the ice sheet,
16:11
they would all die.
16:12
Meanwhile, the food
shortage had become severe,
16:15
The waste meat scraps that
had been set aside for the dogs,
16:18
humans had to now
eat the less smelly bits.
16:23
To get drinkable water,
16:24
everyone would hold a small can
filled with ice close to their bodies
16:27
to melt the ice using
their body temperature,
16:30
to get some clean
water to drink.
16:32
But in these can, they could collect
only a few tablespoons of water at once.
16:36
An interesting
fact here was that
16:38
although there were
28 people in this crew,
16:40
officially, they were
supposed to be only 27.
16:43
In August 1914,
16:45
when this ship
departed from Britain,
16:46
the 28th person,
Blackborow, hid in the ship.
16:50
Shackleton had already refused
to add Burrow to this crew.
16:55
But still, he came
on board secretly.
16:58
Later, when he was found out,
17:00
Shackleton told him directly,
17:02
that if they even
ran out of food,
17:03
he would be the
first human they'll eat.
17:07
Friends, you'd remember
the Miracle of Flight 571,
17:10
I shared it with
you in this video,
17:12
the survivors of that
flight had to resort to this.
17:14
A shocking and
painful thing to do.
17:16
Many people would
rather die than do this.
17:19
But thankfully, Shackleton's
crew didn't have to go this far.
17:22
They were lucky to have
spotted a sea leopard one day.
17:26
They hunted it,
17:27
to get about 1,000
pounds of meat.
17:30
Apart from this, many crew
members killed their dogs
17:32
to be eaten.
17:34
After this, thankfully, for the next few
months, there was no shortage of food.
17:38
7th April 1916,
17:40
floating on the ice sheet,
17:42
the crew finally
spotted Clarence Island.
17:44
They estimated that it was
about 83 km to the north.
17:49
This island renewed their hope.
17:51
But then suddenly, the
wind changed direction.
17:54
The wind started
blowing eastwards.
17:57
There were no
islands in the east.
17:59
There was no land.
18:02
In a few hours, Shackleton
and his crew lost all hope.
18:07
The ice sheet on which
they had set up their camp,
18:11
was getting smaller.
18:13
By this point, it was
only 50 meters long.
18:16
It was getting dangerous for the
crew to remain on this ice sheet.
18:20
So, Shackleton decided
18:22
to load the crew members
in these three boats,
18:25
and move forward
towards Clarence Island.
18:28
Not only did they have
to wade through water
18:30
but also other ice
sheets and icebergs.
18:33
Some way ahead, they came
upon another solid ice sheet.
18:36
There, they set up a new camp.
18:38
But as soon as they
set up their camp,
18:40
a crack started forming
on this ice sheet.
18:45
And accidentally, one of their
crew members fell into the water.
18:48
That was Fireman Ernie Holness.
18:51
The rest of the crew tried to
get him out of the water quickly.
18:55
But before they got the
chance to catch their breath,
18:57
this ice sheet
broke apart into two.
19:00
Shackleton was left
alone on one part,
19:02
and the rest of the crew was swept
away into the darkness on the other part.
19:06
No one knew what to do.
19:08
Their leader, their commander who
had been leading them for so long,
19:13
suddenly disappeared
into the darkness.
19:20
Luckily, they heard
Shackleton in the darkness.
19:23
"Bring a boat."
19:25
After this, some crew members
brought Shackleton back on a boat.
19:29
After reuniting with his crew,
19:31
Shackleton asked
about Holness first.
19:34
He was shivering a lot.
19:36
After falling into the water, the
risk of hypothermia increased.
19:39
There was no
way to light a fire.
19:41
If nothing could be done,
19:42
he would die shivering.
19:45
Shackleton used his skills
and experience once again
19:48
and ordered him
to keep walking until
19:51
his body heat could dry
the clothes on his body.
19:55
This poor boy kept
walking the entire night.
19:59
And eventually, this
helped dry his clothes.
20:03
He stopped feeling
abnormally cold.
20:05
Meanwhile, the wind kept
changing its direction repeatedly.
20:08
The ice sheet would go
one way and then another.
20:11
They changed their
target four times.
20:13
First, they believed that they
would reach Clarence Island.
20:15
Then they thought they would
reach King George Island.
20:18
They even thought of Hope Bay.
20:20
And finally, they decided
to go to Elephant Island.
20:23
Elephant Island is the last
island before Drake's Passage.
20:26
It was 160 km away from
them to the north-west.
20:29
Since the iceberg was
already moving northwards,
20:32
the temperature was
getting warmer slowly.
20:35
The temperature
had reached -8°C.
20:38
The ice cover around
them was getting lighter.
20:39
But on the other
hand, it also meant that
20:41
fresh water supply
was decreasing.
20:43
They had almost
run out of water.
20:45
Everyone's lips were swollen
and chipped due to thirst.
20:48
Their throats were so dry that
it was difficult to swallow food.
20:51
Everyone was given raw seal meat
20:53
so that the blood would
make it easier to swallow.
20:57
Meanwhile, their ice sheet was
slowly floating towards Elephant Island.
21:01
They were only 50 km
away from Elephant Island.
21:05
Shackleton ordered all boats to
be brought down into the water
21:08
this last leg of their
journey would be on boats.
21:11
On 15th April 1916,
21:12
the crew could not
believe their fate.
21:15
The three boats
reached the island safely
21:19
and after being on
water for 497 days,
21:21
the crew members were
finally standing on land.
21:28
"Having been through hell,
21:29
this desolate,
uninhabited, lump of rock,
21:33
seemed nothing short of heaven."
21:36
They couldn't believe that their
feet were actually on solid ground.
21:41
And not on ice.
21:43
Everyone was ecstatic.
21:44
But they didn't know that
their problems weren't over yet.
21:48
The legs of Blackborow, one of the
crew members, had stopped working.
21:51
Another crew member, Rickinson, suffered a
heart attack after they reached the island.
21:55
But somehow, he still survived.
21:59
The biggest problem was that Elephant
Island was completely uninhabited.
22:03
No humans lived there.
22:04
Neither did it have rescue
supplies nor a way to contact others.
22:08
This island was located in
a place where no one went.
22:12
No ship passed by.
22:14
Their problem remained the same.
22:16
How could they get back home?
22:18
Looking at the map,
Shackleton saw three options.
22:21
First, going to Cape Horn,
22:23
South America's
southernmost tip,
22:24
about 800 km to the north-west.
22:28
Second option, going
to the Falkland Islands,
22:31
about 880 km away to
the east of South America.
22:34
Or the third option
was to get help
22:37
in South Georgia
Island to the north-east,
22:40
1,300 km away.
22:42
Options 1 and 2 were closer.
22:44
But going there meant traversing
through Drake's Passage.
22:47
Shackleton chose
the third option.
22:49
He believed that the sea and
the air would support them more
22:53
if they went to
South Georgia Island.
22:55
The crew was so exhausted that
22:58
it was not possible to
bring everyone along.
23:00
Shackleton decided to
take a small team of five
23:04
to go to South Georgia by boat.
23:06
Once there, they will
ask for help from a ship.
23:08
And the team
stranded on the island
23:11
will set up their camp
on Elephant Island.
23:13
On 24th April 1916,
23:15
Shackleton and his
team of five people,
23:18
set out for South
Georgia Island.
23:21
If you look at their
planned route on the map,
23:24
you will see that they cannot
avoid Drake's Passage completely.
23:28
They would need to cross
Drake's Passage to reach the island.
23:32
But there was no better option.
23:35
In this small paddle boat,
23:37
they entered the world's
most dangerous water body.
23:44
To travel such a long distance,
23:46
they would take turns to
row the boat for 4 hours
23:49
and rest for 4 hours.
23:50
But how well could they
rest in this small boat?
23:54
Their journey was spent getting drenched by
the waves, vomiting, and being exhausted.
24:00
In April, winter
begins for Antarctica.
24:04
The sun would be in the
sky for a few hours only.
24:06
And they'd be in the dark
for more than 20 hours.
24:10
These few hours of
sunlight were crucial.
24:12
Because on then could
they use their sextant
24:16
to navigate the direction.
24:17
Whether they were sailing
towards the correct direction.
24:22
They kept sailing for hours.
24:24
Hours changed into days.
24:26
On the way, water
would get into their boat.
24:28
And they'd pump it out.
24:31
A few times, there
were such big waves that
24:32
it almost sunk the boat.
24:38
For a while, it seemed like
the boat wouldn't survive.
24:41
But by chance, they survived
and kept moving forward.
24:43
They had some food
with them in the boat.
24:46
But there was a problem.
24:48
There wasn't enough space on the
deck for them to sit up straight and eat.
24:51
That's why they couldn't
swallow the food properly.
24:54
So they had to lie down to eat.
24:57
The condition on this
boat was so difficult that
25:00
Shackleton's courage
was slipping away from him.
25:03
It was getting too
difficult for him.
25:06
When a bird started
to circle their boat,
25:09
he started shouting
at it in anger.
25:11
This pent up frustration
was eating at his courage.
25:20
But eventually,
after sailing for days,
25:22
they were close
to their destination.
25:24
They were only 3 miles away
from South Georgia Island.
25:27
But before they could celebrate,
25:30
there was a sudden sea storm.
25:32
Their boat was
stuck in this storm.
25:34
The waves got uncontrollable.
25:37
The boat kept
bouncing and crashing.
25:40
These people had
no more strength.
25:43
They put their
paddles and gave up.
25:46
The storm kept throwing
their boat this way and that.
25:51
A few hours later, when
the winds calmed down,
25:53
and the clouds started to clear,
25:55
they saw the South
Georgia Island.
25:59
There was only
one mile left to go.
26:00
Seeing this island,
26:02
they used all their
remaining strength
26:05
all of them started paddling.
26:08
The waves were
quite strong still.
26:10
Shackleton started feeling that
26:11
the end was near.
26:13
The boat felt stationary.
26:15
But in reality,
slowly but surely,
26:17
they were moving
closer to the island.
26:20
After fighting with the storms, winds,
and water for three consecutive weeks,
26:24
finally on 10th May 1916,
26:27
they set foot on the
South Georgia Island.
26:34
The same island from
which they had set out
26:36
on their journey to
Antarctica 522 days ago.
26:39
A wave of happiness
ran through them.
26:42
Shackleton and the crew
members hugged each other.
26:44
But this wasn't the
end of their struggles.
26:47
Actually, friends, the
South Georgia Island
26:49
is more than 100 km long.
26:52
The beach they had landed on,
26:54
was on the other side
of the human settlement.
26:57
Let's find the place where
they landed on the map.
27:00
The human settlement
and the whaling station
27:03
were exactly on the
opposite side of this island.
27:06
They were now faced with two
ways to get to the whaling station.
27:09
First, getting back on the boat
and travelling 130 miles by sea,
27:15
to get to the
north of the island.
27:17
And the second option was to
walk to the north of the island.
27:21
They had to walk only 29 miles.
27:23
But the problem was that there are such
dangerous mountains on South Georgia Island
27:28
that no person in history
27:31
had been able to
cross this island on foot.
27:37
It was considered impossible
to cross this island on foot.
27:40
So, obviously,
they chose the boat.
27:43
But, of course, there
was yet another problem.
27:45
Their boat had been so badly
damaged by the rough waves that
27:48
it wasn't in a
suitable condition.
27:52
They had no other
option than to walk.
27:55
"The alternative was to
attempt crossing the island.
27:58
The island of South Georgia had
never been crossed by anybody.
28:02
The whalers regarded the
country as inaccessible."
28:04
Shackleton was not
one to give up now.
28:07
Not at this point.
28:09
They had endured so
much over the past year,
28:11
they couldn't give up now.
28:13
To survive, they were
now faced with a challenge
28:16
no human had ever attempted before.
28:19
These 10,000-foot-high snowy
mountains had to be crossed some how.
28:29
Shackleton decided to first rest
and build back their lost strength.
28:34
So they stayed in a cave
and ate for the next 9 days.
28:40
Thankfully, there was no
shortage of food on this island,
28:42
the island was swarming with
albatrosses, seals, and penguins.
28:46
After resting for 9 days,
28:48
on 19th May 1916,
at around 3 AM,
28:51
they set off from
the King Haakon Bay.
28:53
He had only two other
crew members with him,
28:55
Worsley and Crean.
28:57
"Worsley and Crean
were coming with me.
28:59
And after consultation, we decided
to leave sleeping bags behind,
29:03
and make the journey in
very light marching order."
29:05
And now their first
challenge was that
29:08
no one knew where to go and how.
29:11
The snow was up to their knees.
29:14
The mountains were so high
that they couldn't see beyond them.
29:17
They climbed the
mountains one after another,
29:19
and looked for the
way from the top.
29:21
If they couldn't find a
way, they would go back.
29:24
This happened several times.
29:25
They climbed as many
mountains as they could see.
29:28
On some mountains, they found
deep gorges and on others, walls of rock.
29:32
Whenever they couldn't
find a way to go ahead,
29:34
they retreated
and got back down,
29:36
to climb another mountain.
29:38
"With the complete
clearance of the mist, we saw,
29:40
to our sharp disappointment,
29:42
what we had taken
for a frozen lake,
29:44
was an arm of the sea.
29:46
Shackleton said grimly,
29:48
'We shall have to go
on to the next, boys.'
29:50
This happened three times."
29:53
Over the next few days, they had
climbed all the surrounding mountains.
29:56
Even after climbing
the last mountain,
29:58
they couldn't find anything new.
29:59
They were staring
at a deep valley.
30:01
With a steep and
dangerous slope.
30:05
"The situation
looked grim enough;
30:07
fog had cut off our retreat,
30:09
darkness covered our advance.
30:12
it was useless to
continue in this fashion."
30:14
By then, they couldn't
retreat any more.
30:16
They tied themselves
along a rope
30:19
and started cutting
stairs into the mountain.
30:22
Literally, they made stairs
to climb down the mountain.
30:26
After descending for some time,
30:27
they spotted the
Stromness Whaling Station.
30:30
And other humans!
30:34
After climbing the
mountains for 36 hours,
30:36
on 20th May 1916,
30:38
Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean
30:40
successfully crossed the
Allardyce mountain range
30:44
and reached the
Stromness whaling station.
30:51
It was the first
time in history that
30:53
someone had crossed the
South Georgia Island on foot.
30:56
The level of impossible
feat they achieved
30:59
can be understood by
31:01
after Shackleton, this
was done only in 1955.
31:05
By expert climbers
with full preparation.
31:09
Shackleton had neither
tents nor sleeping bags.
31:13
They had courage,
determination, and a strong will.
31:18
When Shackleton and his companions
finally reached the whaling station,
31:22
it was difficult to identify
whether they were humans.
31:26
Their beards had grown too long.
31:28
Their faces were dark.
31:30
With only their eyes visible.
31:32
Their clothes were all torn.
31:34
Eventually, the factory manager
at the station recognised them,
31:38
and identified
him as Shackleton,
31:39
the guy who had gone missing with
his team in Antarctica two years ago.
31:43
Every person at the
South Georgia station
31:46
knew Shackleton
and his crew's story.
31:48
Everyone knew about
it as a painful incident.
31:51
The man who died with his ship.
31:53
They couldn't believe that the same man was
standing in front of them two years later.
31:59
The factory manager gave them
food and new clothes immediately.
32:02
And a bed to sleep in.
32:04
The three bathed and shaved.
32:06
And the next day, Worsley
arrived at King Haakon in a boat
32:10
to rescue their three
other companions.
32:13
The three people who were still waiting for
Shackleton on the other side of the island.
32:17
But Shackleton's
real concern now was
32:19
the 22 crew members
stranded on Elephant Island.
32:22
It had been more than a
month since they last saw them.
32:26
Were they still alive?
32:29
In such dire situation, would you be able
to remain motivated enough to survive?
32:33
Especially when
you don't even know
32:35
if your Captains could successfully
cross Drake's Passage or not.
32:39
On the other hand, will anyone
come to rescue you or not?
32:45
Tell me the truth in
the comments below.
32:46
How long will you be
able to survive like this?
32:49
Shackleton tried his best to rescue them
from Elephant Island as soon as possible.
32:55
But when he reached
there with another ship,
32:57
once again, the rescue
ship got stuck in the ice.
33:01
He tried again,
but it didn't work.
33:03
The same thing
happened the third time.
33:04
In three months, he tried thrice to
go to Elephant Island to rescue them.
33:09
But he had to turn back
his ship all three times.
33:12
As time passed, Shackleton's
kept getting more and more worried.
33:16
He specially requested
the British government
33:19
to give him an
ice-breaking ship.
33:20
He was given a
ship called Discovery,
33:22
but it would have taken
some more weeks to arrive.
33:26
Shackleton was
in no mood to wait.
33:28
He didn't know how long
would they be able to hold out.
33:34
Another ship was requested
from the Chilean government.
33:36
He was given a
ship named Yelcho.
33:39
On 25th August 1916,
33:42
he left for Elephant Island
again aboard this ship.
33:50
It took him about 6 days,
33:52
but this time, he reached Elephant
Island successfully on 30th August.
33:58
He was shocked by what he
saw when he reached the island.
34:03
Actually, these 22 people who
remained on Elephant Island,
34:07
Shackleton knew that
they would need leadership.
34:10
Or else, they would get
depressed and frustrated.
34:13
So, Shackleton made one of
them, Frank Wilde, the leader.
34:18
After Shackleton left,
34:20
on Frank Wilde's orders, they built a
shelter by turning over the two boats.
34:24
They remained
there for 128 days.
34:27
They used to hunt penguins
and seals to feed themselves.
34:30
Amidst the cold, hunger,
and disappointment,
34:32
Frank Wilde repeated the
same thing every morning.
34:35
'Pack your bags, friends.
34:37
The boss can come today.'
34:38
Boss referred to Shackleton.
34:40
But the boss didn't come.
34:41
Days changed into weeks
and weeks into months.
34:44
But every morning,
34:45
Frank would get up and
repeat the same thing.
34:47
'Pack your bags, friends.
34:49
The boss can come today.'
34:50
Every morning, Frank
climbed the hill to check
34:53
whether a ship arrived or not.
34:54
And every evening, he
returned disappointed.
34:57
After four months, people's
courage was beginning to wane.
35:00
Things were
getting more difficult.
35:02
Blackborow's leg
was grossly infected.
35:06
It was a gangrene infection.
35:08
So they had to cut off this leg.
35:11
With every passing day,
35:12
they were closer to
believing that Shackleton
35:15
couldn't actually
reach South Georgia.
35:17
His boat might have
sunk on the way.
35:32
It had been 4 months and
6 days since Shackleton left.
35:35
Frank Wilde had
decided to move ahead.
35:38
At Frank's order, they
really packed their bags.
35:42
But not in the hopes
of being rescued,
35:43
this time, they
were planning to sail.
35:47
They started preparing to
leave for Deception Island.
35:52
But before they could
leave Elephant Island,
35:55
they spotted
something far in the sea.
35:58
A huge ship was
sailing towards them.
36:02
This was the ship Yelcho.
36:04
Once the ship was close enough, they
could see their commander and boss,
36:08
Shackleton.
36:09
"From the man on duty
outside, we heard a sudden yell.
36:12
'Wilde,' he shouted, 'Wilde!'
36:14
'There's a ship!'
36:15
'Haven't we better
light a flare?'"
36:21
Their boss was finally
there to rescue them.
36:24
Shackleton was
stunned to see them.
36:26
All 22 of them were alive.
36:28
They hadn't given up.
36:31
After fighting with ice, mountains,
and oceans for almost 2 years,
36:35
Shackleton and his
crew returned home.
36:39
"When we landed, they
welcomed us so heartily,
36:42
that they nearly pushed
us into the sea again."
37:03
It was truly miraculous.
37:05
Shackleton left with 27 people.
37:07
And returned with all 27 people.
37:11
It was possible only because of
Shackleton's leadership and courage,
37:14
the determination of the crew,
37:15
and their unbreakable teamwork.
37:17
Friends, 106 years
after this incident,
37:19
in 2022,
37:21
investigators were doing
some research in the sea.
37:24
Then, in the Weddell Sea,
10,000 feet below the surface,
37:27
they found Shackleton's
ship, Endurance.
37:31
"The state of preservation
is just absolutely brilliant.
37:34
There are no wood-consuming
marine parasites in the Weddell Sea."
37:37
It's truly amazing that
37:39
it took us 106 years to find
the wreckage of this ship.
37:42
And even after 106 years,
37:44
since it sunk so
close to Antarctica,
37:46
it is in remarkably
good condition.
37:48
You can see the latest photos
of this ship on the screen,
37:51
these were taken
a few years ago.
37:53
And today, if you ever go
to South Georgia Island,
37:56
you will find
Shackleton's grave there.
37:58
He set out to
accomplish a historic feat.
38:01
To be the first man to
walk across Antarctica.
38:04
Although his
original plan failed,
38:06
he did something
even more miraculous.
38:11
Much more amazing.
38:16
Friends, if you liked
this survival story,
38:18
then an equally amazing
survival story is of
38:22
the survivors of Flight 571.
38:23
Another story
that tells you that
38:26
if you have determination,
courage, and a strong will,
38:31
you can make the
impossible possible.
38:34
The link to join Dinaz's
Mind-Body Fitness Masterclass
38:37
on Edarya is given in
the description below.
38:39
And you can click here to learn
more about the survivors of Flight 571.
38:43
Thank you very much!
— end of transcript —
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