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On the Location of Shackleton's Vessel Endurance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2018

Lars Bergman  and
Robin G. Stuart
Lars Bergman
Affiliation:
(Saltsjöbaden, Sweden)
Robin G. Stuart*
Affiliation:
(Valhalla, New York, USA)
*
(E-mail: [email protected])
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Abstract

The location of the wreck of Shackleton's ship the Steam Yacht Endurance is recorded in the expedition log books as 68°39′30′′S 52°26′30′′W. The methods and assumptions that went into obtaining this fix are examined in detail by consulting the original log entries with a view to understanding the size of the errors and uncertainties it may be subject to and providing guidance to possible future searches. It is found that a dearth of navigational sights around the time of the sinking, the inevitable growth of uncertainties in the chronometer time since rating and other factors, introduce the possibility of errors in the position of several nautical miles in both latitude and longitude.

Keywords

SextantClock CorrectionsDipLogNavigation
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 72 , Issue 2 , March 2019 , pp. 257 - 268
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2018 

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References

REFERENCES

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