79pmooney
Posts:3180
 |
| 03/09/2022 11:20 AM |
|
Endurance, the ship of Ernest Shackleton that left England in 1914 to launch the first crossing of Antarctica; the ship that got trapped in ice, crushed and sank over 10 months while the crew camped beside it. They then traveled over the ice sheet across the Weddell sea and by the ship's life boats to the godforsaken Elephant Island; a place with plenty of food and water and nothing else remotely pleasant. When weather improved, Shackleton, the Captain and select crew members took the best lifeboat, built up with wood from the others and sailed across one of the harshest stretches of water on Earth 800 miles to Georgia Island, a remote whaling outpost. A ship then returned to pick up the rest of the expedition.
One of the greatest survival stories ever. 27 on that expedition and they all came through it. Shackleton's management of both resources and the abilities of his men puts him in a place reserved for very few.
The ship - other than being crushed and dis-masted by ice - is near perfect. 10,000 feet deep in some very cold water. Photos show the deck with a lot of silt-like covering, the stern with letters of Endurance looking almost new and a section of the forward section - wood in great shape except the deep crushing from the ice.
I read Endurance in 10th grade. Made such an impression that when the documentary came out 20 years ago I was telling my wife what was happening and what was going to happen next; 35 years and a TBI later. That documentary we watched on NPR? was excellent. I highly recommend it if you come across it. |
|
|
|
|
Dale
Posts:1767
|
| 03/09/2022 02:25 PM |
|
| The ship is in amazingly good shape for being crushed and sunk over 100 years ago but you do have to admit that's a pretty low bar |
|
|
|
|
huckleberry
Posts:824
|
| 03/09/2022 04:10 PM |
|
| A "low bar" for what? A historic ship with a captivating story of survival? |
|
|
|
|
79pmooney
Posts:3180
|
| 03/09/2022 04:20 PM |
|
| The bar on that ship (and the liquor) is now at 10,000 feet under. I don't think it can get much lower. Water's cold enough that any beverage on board should be exactly as it left the surface (though I don't think they left those jellyfish with much. Pretty sure it was all consumed well before the rest of their adventure started.) |
|
|
|
|
Dale
Posts:1767
|
| 03/09/2022 04:42 PM |
|
A "low bar" for what? A historic ship with a captivating story of survival?
A low bar for the condition of a ship that sunk 100+ years ago. It could be in horrible shape and it would still be amazing.
|
|
|
|
|
Orange Crush
Posts:4499
|
| 03/09/2022 04:54 PM |
|
There was 28 on the expedition, 27 crew under Shackleton's command. Took me a while to realize the discrepancy in various articles.
Sounds like Shackleton wasn't nearly as successful in the rest of his life, trying to make a quick buck but ending up with piles of debt.
What would 10,000 feet of water column pressure do to those bottles of liquor? A ship is a no brainer, equal pressure on all sides so it doesn't get crushed, but a bottle that was closed/sealed at 1 Atm? |
|
|
|
|
eurochien
Posts:163
|
| 03/09/2022 05:46 PM |
|
Posted By 79 pmooney on 03/09/2022 04:20 PM
The bar on that ship (and the liquor) is now at 10,000 feet under. I don't think it can get much lower. Water's cold enough that any beverage on board should be exactly as it left the surface (though I don't think they left those jellyfish with much. Pretty sure it was all consumed well before the rest of their adventure started.)
There was a story a few years ago about a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea (so, neither as cold nor deep as the "Endurance" shipwreck) that contained several bottles of champagne...
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/170-year-old-champagne-recovered-and-tasted-baltic-shipwreck-180955050/ |
|
|
|
|
Dale
Posts:1767
|
| 03/09/2022 06:22 PM |
|
Since we've drifter to other ship wrecks, the steamboat Arabia is a compelling story.
https://www.1856.com
I met one of the guys who was instrumental in finding and recovering it. If you're ever in the area it's a great tour. The guy opened a bottle of pickles from 150 years ago and said they were pretty good. The casks of liquor everyone was hoping to find somehow were missing, possibly salvaged as it was going down. Not often you can dig up a ship beneath a soybean field out in Kansas. |
|
|
|
|
longslowdistance
Posts:2881
|
| 03/09/2022 07:09 PM |
|
Sorry, I thought this thread about shipwrecks was about (insert flailing rider's name here).
|
|
|
|
|
longslowdistance
Posts:2881
|
| 03/09/2022 08:52 PM |
|
| PS: In case you give a fig, regarding the long term durability of spirits bottled with century old tech in truly extreme pressures, I've made inquiries from knowledgeable connections. That is a fascinating question. Stay tuned. |
|
|
|
|
smokey52
Posts:493
|
| 03/09/2022 10:50 PM |
|
| Regarding the liquor, it really depends on the headspace in the bottles. The liquid is not very compressible. |
|
|
|
|
longslowdistance
Posts:2881
|
| 03/10/2022 05:00 AM |
|
| And diffusion across cork |
|
|
|
|
Orange Crush
Posts:4499
|
| 03/10/2022 10:07 AM |
|
Posted By smokey 52 on 03/09/2022 10:50 PM
Regarding the liquor, it really depends on the headspace in the bottles. The liquid is not very compressible.
This exactly. Did some evening research into my own question. Full bottle no problem as fluid isn’t very compressible. Any amount of headspace eg from a partially drunk bottle that bottle will be toast. |
|
|
|
|
longslowdistance
Posts:2881
|
| 03/11/2022 12:17 AM |
|
| And: corks are semipermeable. Could ruin the bottle contents over time. |
|
|
|
|
smokey52
Posts:493
|
| 03/12/2022 06:35 AM |
|
| LSD- I thought about cork permeability after your first comment on corks. I think another factor is how the cork was sealed. I searched Wiki but did not find the information. My guess is either a wax seal or a lead seal. |
|
|
|
|