Dr John Shears stared at the TV monitor with increasing excitement. For two weeks, he and his team had been searching the Weddell SeaPart of the Southern Ocean, it is 1,200 miles across at its widest point.. At a depth of 10,000 feet, his remote-controlled mini-submarine had located a shipwreck. Its cameras picked out a name: Endurance. It was, said Shears, a "jaw-dropping" moment.

The wreck was in an extraordinary state of preservation. They could make out the ship's wheel, some boots and the porthole of Ernest Shackleton's cabin. "At that moment," said marine archaeologist Mensun Bound, "you really do feel the breath of the great manShackleton was knighted in 1909. He died in the Antarctic in 1921 of a heart attack; the wreck of the Endurance was discovered exactly 100 years after his funeral, which took place on 5 March 1922. upon the back of your neck."

The Endurance sank on 21 November 1915 after becoming trapped by sea ice. The 28 crew seemed doomed. But thanks to the heroism of their leader, every one of them survived.

Born in 1874, Shackleton was a doctor's son. At 27 he became one of two menThe other was Edward Wilson, who later led an expedition which came to be known as "the worst journey in the world" in search of Antarctic penguins' eggs. who accompanied Captain Scott on his first attempt to reach the South Pole.

Though the three men got closer to the Pole than anyone had before, terrible weather and sickness forced them to turn back after two months. By the time they returned to base, Shackleton was spitting blood and barely able to walk. Scott sent him home to England.

In 1907, Shackleton led a South Pole expedition of his own, and again got closer than anyone, but had to give up 97 miles from his objective. Four years later, Roald AmundsenA Norwegian explorer. He disappeared in 1928 while flying on a rescue mission in the Arctic. won the race to the Pole while Scott diedHe and four companions, including Edward Wilson, reached the South Pole a month after Amundsen, but perished on the way back to their base. in the attempt.

Nobody had crossed Antarctica by land. And in 1914 Shackleton set out to do that.

After the sinking of the Endurance, Shackleton and his crew set off in search of land, first marching across the pack ice and then using their lifeboats. After five months they reached the uninhabited Elephant Island and made camp. With many unfit to travel further, the only hope was for one boat to go in search of help.

Shackleton set sail to South Georgia, 800 miles away. Two weeks later, after surviving a storm, they arrived. But they had to make another gruelling journey, this time on foot, over a mountain without a map.

On arrival, Shackleton began planning the rescue of his other men. It took four attemptsThe first three failed because of thick new pack ice that had formed between South Georgia and Elephant Island., but he succeeded.

Yes: In the words of a modern explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes: "Shackleton inspires us to never say die." He underwent unimaginable hardships and inspired enormous loyalty in his subordinate.

No: Although he achieved a great deal, the three great expeditions he took part in all failed in their objectives. The perfect hero is someone who achieves whatever he or she sets out to do.

Or... There is no such thing as a perfect hero - even the most impressive humans have their flaws. But that does not mean that we should not admire them and try to learn from their example.