Discovery of Shackleton's Endurance to be charted in National Geographic Disney+ documentary

The recent discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance will be the subject of a new documentary coming to National Geographic Channels and Disney+ this autumn.

The wreck of Endurance has been found 107 years after it became trapped in sea ice and sank off the coast of Antarctica. The wooden ship had not been seen since it went down in the Weddell Sea in 1915, and in February the Endurance22 Expedition set off from Cape Town, South Africa, a month after the 100th anniversary of Sir Ernest’s death on a mission to locate it.

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The story of the discovery will air as part of National Geographic’s EXPLORER series, and will be directed by BAFTA-nominated Natalie Hewit (Antarctica: Ice Station Rescue, Greta Thunberg: A Year To Change The World).

National Geographic has partnered with Dan Snow's History Hit, Little Dot Studios, and Consequential for what is described in the press release as 'an epic documentary event detailing the successful search and discovery of one of the great lost shipwrecks of history — Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance.'

Dan Snow, co-founder and creative director of History Hit, said: “This has been the most exciting and challenging experience of my career so far. The team has found not only the world’s most famous shipwreck but also its most inaccessible.

After going through storms, blizzards and thick sea ice, we have got some astonishing images of Endurance and a laser scan accurate to within centimeters. People thought the story of Endurance was over when it sank in November 1915, but it wasn’t. This is the start of a new chapter.”

Organised by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, the expedition to locate the shipwreck set off from Cape Town on 5 February on a voyage to the Weddell Sea, off the coast of Antarctica where the Endurance sank in 1915.

Watch: Shackleton's ship discovered after 107 years

The expedition was led by polar geographer Dr. John Shears with marine archaeologist Mensun Bound as Director of Exploration. With them, on board the South African icebreaker Agulhas II, is a crew of scientists and archaeologists alongside a team of highly experienced extreme environment filmmakers, led by Dan Snow for History Hit, who have documented the events in real-time leading up to the historic discovery.

Courteney Monroe, President, National Geographic Content, said: "It is our hope — along with our incredible partners on this project — that the blockbuster story behind Shackleton’s Endurance, featuring exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the high-stakes adventure, will inspire the next generation of explorers and adventurers.”

The untitled series on the discovery of Endurance will hit Disney+ this Autumn.