Dr John Shears & Nico Vincent discuss their role in the search for Shackleton’s ship Endurance, and the importance of perseverance
Interview by Victoria Heath
For Dr John Shears, it was the most memorable game of football. Not because it was played on Antarctic sea ice, not because of the stunning scenery or vast whiteness around, but because of what happened next. When he returned to the S.A. Agulhas II – the expedition ship in the search to find the long-lost wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated Endurance – he saw expedition subsea manager Nico Vincent with a grim look on his face.
The game of football had been a well-needed distraction for expedition leader John and director of exploration Mensun Bound, who both knew the mission was only days away from ending and had still come no closer to finding the Endurance shipwreck.
John feared the worst based on Nico’s glum expression: a crew member injured, or perhaps a multi-million dollar AUV (an autonomous underwater vehicle used in the searches) lost to the icy depths of the sea.
Nico and John break into a smile as John recounts: ‘Nico sometimes likes to play a joke. And this was one of those times.’
John explains how a stoic Nico approached him, holding up an iPhone. The video on display was undeniable: crystal-clear video of the Endurance shipwreck sunk beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea, found after 107 years. ‘Gentlemen,’ Nico said. ‘Let me introduce you to the Endurance.’
Celebrations were warranted then, but Nico tells me about staying level-headed when they first believed they had found Endurance.
‘The time of discovery was a time of duty for me,’ he said. After a false alarm earlier in the expedition – that was found to be nothing more than small pieces of debris at the ocean floor – Nico wanted full video footage of what they believed to be Endurance before confirming it.
The AUV used to find the shipwreck was on extremely low battery and may not have had time to complete a full scan of the wreckage before making an automatic emergency ascent. But, to the elation of all onboard, enough footage was captured to confirm their hopes: after 107 years, Endurance was found.
The look on both Nico and John’s faces as they recount this moment – their elation and reminiscing smiles – shows that the discovery of Endurance was more than an successful expedition, but a deeply personal achievement too.
Since he was a young boy and first visited the museum in Exeter with his grandmother, John has been interested in the Shackleton story. Having worked at the British Antarctic Survey since 1990 – first as an environmental officer and then working at Halley base – John became even more familiar with Shackleton’s history. So when an opportunity arose through the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust to be the expedition leader to find Endurance, John jumped at the chance.
‘For me, it’s the ultimate polar expedition challenge,’ says John. ‘The wreck is so remote and so difficult to get to.’ John isn’t wrong: more people have been on the International Space Station than have stepped foot on the sea ice at the Endurance sinking location .
For Nico, too, finding Endurance was an ultimate challenge, but in the realm of sub-sea exploration. The Endurance22 expedition was Nico’s first time in Antarctica, although his thirty-year career has taken him to complicated projects including recovering and identifying wreckage from aviation crashes such as Flight MH370.
‘The most famous maritime incident is the Titanic,’ says Nico. ‘Everybody knows about it. But the second one – and the most complicated – has got to be Endurance. To be part of the mission to find it is a holy grail.’
With cameras around 24/7 – since the expedition was being filmed for the National Geographical documentary Endurance – it might be expected that the high stakes of the Endurance22 mission were made even greater. But for Nico and John, the camera crew eventually blended into the everyday workings onboard the ship and became part of the team.
The camera crew, led by Natalie Hewit, were well aware of the risks that came with filming in Antarctica. Certain shots might be an aesthetic goal for the final film, but were never taken if they compromised the overall safety or operation of the ship.
‘All the footage in the film is us as we were,’ John says. ‘There are moments from when we’re looking haggard, pretty depressed, and very serious too. She captured it all.’
It’s clear, then, that like Shackleton and his crew – who possessed bucketloads of teamwork – Nico and John deeply respect each other’s involvement in the expedition. The pair faced different issues, and common issues too – like difficulties in operating equipment due to pack ice – and worked closely together to solve them.
There’s also a deep gratitude from Nico and John for their wider team. Made up of 110 members, the pair feel very lucky to have had such an exceptional and hard-working crew onboard.
And at the heart of it all – whether it’s Shackleton’s exploration to Antarctica or the modern-day mission to find the Endurance shipwreck – is teamwork and perseverance. The ability to work together and show grit and determination when there is little hope is a humbling message that both Nico and John, as well as the documentary film Endurance as a whole, imparts.
