Ice Captain

The gripping story of J.R. Stenhouse, whose ship, the "Aurora," was supposed to give support to Shackleton during his Antarctic expedition--but instead found itself caught in an ice floe and drifting out to sea

As Shackleton watched his ship "Endurance" become trapped in the ice floes of the Weddell Sea, on the other side of Antarctica the expedition's second ship, "Aurora," suffered an equally terrifying fate. Under the command of J.R. Stenhouse, the "Aurora" was torn from her moorings and driven out to sea, becoming trapped in pack ice. For 10 months the ice sawed at her hull, until, with her rudder smashed and water cascading from her seams, she broke free and embarked upon her own extraordinary voyage to safe harbor. In "Ice Captain," Stephen Haddelsey reveals both the story of Stenhouse's achievements aboard the "Aurora," but also his many adventures in later life, from serving as a U-boat hunter in WWI, to digging for pirate gold, and commanding Scott's "Discovery." A captivating book about a fascinating man.