Shackleton–Rowett Expedition
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The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–1922) was Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic expedition. It was ended by his death from natural causes. A principal backer of the expedition was Dr John Quiller Rowett who also funded the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen.
The apparent objective was to circumnavigate Antarctica, looking for islands nearby, though it seems to have been fuelled by Shackleton's desire to get away rather than any serious purpose. Shackleton bought a ship in poor condition in Norway called the "Foca I". It was a wooden steamer of 125 tons unsuited to long oceanic journeys and had weak engines. It was renamed Quest and refitted in London. Facilities for a small seaplane were also added.
On the expedition were members from the Endurance expedition: Dr Alexander Macklin and Leonard Hussey. Another member was Roderick Carr, who later achieved high rank in the Royal Air Force.[1]
Quest sailed on 17 September 1921, but that it was not suited for a long, trans-oceanic journey and the ship's poor condition became obvious fairly quickly once underway at sea, and the crew found it needed constant repairs to remain sea-worthy. In Rio de Janeiro, Shackleton had a heart attack but refused to be examined by Dr Macklin. On 4 January 1922, Quest reached Grytviken in South Georgia Island, but then Shackleton had another heart attack and in the early hours of 5 January 1922, he died. Hussey abandoned the expedition.
When Lady Shackleton received word that her husband had died, she requested that his body be buried on South Georgia. Near Montevideo, Hussey turned the ship around and brought the body back to South Georgia where it was buried in the Norwegian cemetery. The memorial is a slab of rough-cut granite inscribed on the back with a line from Robert Browning's The Statue and the Bust:
- "A man should strive to the uttermost for his life's set prize."
