When It All Went Wrong
As they dodged through the ice, it got closer and more compact than ever, making progress south even harder. They eventually found an open lane of water, but after sailing 124 miles they came to a halt in front of some extremely dense pack ice, probably held in place by some huge ice cliffs nearby. However, an easterly gale started up. The pack ice eventually dispersed, and they continued sailing, but only for 24 miles before encountering some more harsh pack ice. They were stuck until some north-easterly wind could blow the ice away. They were only 80 miles, a day’s worth of sailing, from their intended start point, Vahsel Bay. That night, the pack ice closed in even tighter. There was no open water in sight. Still, they were not afraid of getting frozen in, because the temperature was still mild, only 28 degrees Fahrenheit. They were extremely bored with the monotony of waiting for the pack ice to open up. They entertained
themselves by playing with the dogs and playing football on the ice. They tried to further break through the ice, but they soon became exhausted. They could only watch helplessly as their ship drifted farther and farther away from land. As it drifted away from land, the pressure on the ice increased, and thus the pressure on the ship when the ice closed in. It became subject to “pressure attacks” - short time periods of extreme pressure against the ship. This terrified the men. One day, the ship was caught between three separate pressure ridges. The sternpost was wrenched out and the ship was leaking dangerously; the ship bowled up over the ice and tilted 30 degrees. They tried to pump out the water, but soon saw that the pump could not cope with the inrush of liquid. McNish worked on building a cofferdam while the other men gathered the dogs, food, supplies, and maps they needed. The rest would be left behind. The cofferdam was put in place, and things started to seem a little more hopeful, but the ice started to bend her like a bow, and she started leaking badly again. The pressure got worse and worse. The Endurance was knocked stern up, and while she was moving, an iceberg ripped off the rudder and sternpost. It was over. The decks were beginning to break upward, and water was flowing in where the keel was ripped out. Shackleton gave the order to abandon ship. They sadly left the Endurance in ruins. 
themselves by playing with the dogs and playing football on the ice. They tried to further break through the ice, but they soon became exhausted. They could only watch helplessly as their ship drifted farther and farther away from land. As it drifted away from land, the pressure on the ice increased, and thus the pressure on the ship when the ice closed in. It became subject to “pressure attacks” - short time periods of extreme pressure against the ship. This terrified the men. One day, the ship was caught between three separate pressure ridges. The sternpost was wrenched out and the ship was leaking dangerously; the ship bowled up over the ice and tilted 30 degrees. They tried to pump out the water, but soon saw that the pump could not cope with the inrush of liquid. McNish worked on building a cofferdam while the other men gathered the dogs, food, supplies, and maps they needed. The rest would be left behind. The cofferdam was put in place, and things started to seem a little more hopeful, but the ice started to bend her like a bow, and she started leaking badly again. The pressure got worse and worse. The Endurance was knocked stern up, and while she was moving, an iceberg ripped off the rudder and sternpost. It was over. The decks were beginning to break upward, and water was flowing in where the keel was ripped out. Shackleton gave the order to abandon ship. They sadly left the Endurance in ruins. 
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