In the race to conquer the South Pole, three names loomed large: Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen. The Endurance was launched on 17 December 1912 under the name Polaris. Originally rigged as a frigate, she was converted into a three-masted barquentine and in 1914 joined the famous Trans-Antarctic Imperial Expedition to cross Antarctica under Sir Ernest Shackletons command. After the Expedition was shipwrecked on 19 August 1915, the Endurance was trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea. For 522 days the explorers braved winds up to 300 km/h and temperatures of 40 degrees below zero. Shackleton and a few hand-picked men took a small boat, the James Caird, and made one of the most memorable and heroic journeys in sailing history. Together with all their crew, they accomplished the most important feat of all...surviving. The expedition is remembered as an epic story of endurance, heroism and survival. SCALE 1:70 HEIGHT 446 mm WIDTH 216 mm LENGTH 754 mm