Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance found 107 years after sinking off Antarctica

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance has been found 107 years after her sinking off the Antarctic coast.

The polar explorer and Navy reservist, who had also served with the British Army, is famous for his Endurance expedition during which he and his crew set out to achieve the first coast-to-coast crossing of Antarctica.

However, after sailing into the Weddell Sea, the vessel became trapped in pack ice.

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Sir Ernest and his men hung on for survival and, with no chance of rescue, the entire group eventually set off, dragging three small lifeboats across the ice, then sailing to Elephant Island 350 miles away. 

The explorer headed for Antarctica again in 1921 but, aged only 47, he suffered a heart attack and died in South Georgia in January 1922.

A month after the 100th anniversary of his death, his famous Antarctic vessel was located by the Endurance22 Expedition, having not been seen since 1915.

Endurance was found at a depth of 3,008m and about four miles south of the original recorded position by the ship's captain Frank Worsley, according to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.

The expedition's director of exploration said footage of Endurance showed it to be intact and "by far the finest wooden shipwreck" he has seen.

Mensun Bound said: "We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance.

Watch: Sir Ernest Shackleton – the Royal Navy reservist and Antarctic explorer.

"It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation. You can even see 'Endurance' arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail.

"This is a milestone in polar history."

Dr John Shears, the expedition leader, said his team, which was accompanied by historian Dan Snow, had completed what he called "the world's most challenging shipwreck search".

Sailors from Royal Navy icebreaker HMS Protector held a memorial service for Sir Ernest at his graveside on the island of South Georgia in December, to mark the 100th anniversary of his death.