Brother Sir Ernest Shackleton

1874-1922

Irish born Antarctic explorer leading three expeditions to the Antarctic for Britain and a prominent figure during the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration”. He is best known for the harrowing survival story of the Endurance.

Presented to the Lodge Jun. 2026

Sir Ernest Shackleton was born in Ireland in 1874 and educated in London. Following his education he joined the merchant navy at 16 and began his Antarctic exploration in 1901 as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery.

Black and white photo of a man in a military uniform sitting in a chair, with arms resting on his lap, in a room with a sideboard and decorative objects in the background.
An old sailing ship with three masts is stranded on an icy landscape, appearing abandoned.

Captain Scott’s Discovery

Emblem with a crown, an anchor, and the text 'The Navy Lodge No. 2612' and the year 1998.

Shackleton was Initiated into Navy Lodge No. 2612 on July 9th, 1901, just prior to starting his career in exploration.

He was Passed at an emergency meeting on November 2nd, 1911 and Raised at another emergency meeting on May 30th, 1913

A vintage bookplate featuring two pillars topped with globes, an eye within a Star of David, and stairs leading up to a rising sun over a checkered floor, with books and a small globe at the bottom.

Bookplate from Shackleton’s personal library

Endurance expedition

A black-and-white photo of a large sailing ship in water near a mountainous coastline with snow-capped peaks in the background.

The initial plan was to sail to Antarctica and cross the continent on foot, reaching the South Pole in December of 1915 and utilizing supply caches left by a sister ship Aurora on the second half of the crossing and being picked up by Aurora to return home.

Historical map showing Shackleton's probable route to the Antarctic, including key locations such as South Georgia, Weddell Sea, Beardmore Glacier, King Edward VII Land, and Ross Sea, with notes on Shackleton's plans and ice conditions.
Map of Antarctica showing locations of open boat journey, South Georgia, Elephant Island, McMurdo, and bays. Highlights include sea ice drift, pack ice coverage, and ice barriers.

The actual voyage ended up completely different than the initial plan.

In January of 1915 Endurance gets stuck in pack ice. The crew is held in place and forced to float with the flow of ice in sight of their goal of Antarctica. They are stuck in the ice for 9 months.

A sailing ship with multiple white sails in icy, snow-covered waters under a cloudy sky.

In October of 1915 the pack ice Endurance is trapped in begins to compact, crushing the hull and any chances the crew would have of sailing home.

Black and white photo of a large, old sailboat tilted and partially submerged in ice or snow, with rigging and masts visible.

The crew begins to evacuate the ship and salvaging as many supplies as possible until, in November of 1915, Endurance sinks

A black and white photo of a wrecked sailboat stranded in the snow with children in winter clothing sitting nearby.

From November 1915 until April 1916 the crew lives in temporary camps on the floating ice sheets during the arctic winter until the ice begins to thin and shift in April as spring approaches

Historical black-and-white photograph of soldiers in a snowy military camp, some standing, some near tents and equipment.

The crew are determined to reach Elephant Island, the uninhabited island off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, and from there reach the inhabited islands farther North. They take two cutters and a whale boat with as many supplies as they can carry and row from the pack ice to Elephant Island in April of 1916

Map of Antarctica showing Elephant Island near South Georgia Island, Falkland Islands, and South Orkney Islands, with locations of Port Lockroy, Port Stanley, and Ushuaia.
Satellite map showing the locations of Mount Elder, Mount Pendagon, Rowett Island, Endurance Glacier, Pardo Ridge, Point Wild, Cape Valentine, and the Drake Passage near the Antarctic Peninsula.

The crew manages to survive the trip to Elephant Island and arrives to a desolate rocky island that is still hundreds of miles from the nearest sign of civilization. Six men board a 22ft whale boat James Caird and set off for an 800 nautical mile row through the most dangerous area of ocean on Earth, the Drake Passage.

While these six men leave for help, the remaining crew must take shelter under the up-turned boat and wait an undetermined amount of time, hoping the crew of the James Caird both survive and are able to return with rescue.

Group of people pushing a small boat into the water at the beach.
A black and white photo of two climbers standing inside a damaged tent on a snowy mountainous landscape, with one climber standing on the snow and the other climbing into the tent, and another person standing far in the background.

The crew of the James Caird manage to survive the 800 nautical mile journey in under 48 hours, arriving at South Georgia Island. They land on the western coast of the island which is uninhabited. They must now leave their boat and supplies and cross the width of South Georgia Island on foot, climbing a mountain in the process. This is a feat that has never been done before, and they are managing it after rowing through the Drake Passage and more than a year stuck on ice.

Map of South Georgia showing topography, ice fields, and surrounding waters including the Scotia Sea and Southern Ocean.

The men finally make it across the width of the island and stumble into the whaling port town they left from over one year prior. They request aid from the United Kingdom and her allies, but WWI had started while they were on their expedition and no naval ships can be spared.

Group of people on a snowy icy landscape with ice cliffs and rocky mountains in the background.

While recovering on South Georgia Island, Shackleton arranges multiple independent rescue attempts will all being stalled or called off when the ships get stuck or damaged in the ice. Shackleton eventually meets brother Freemason Luis Pardo, the Lt. Commander of a Chilean steamer Yelcho. Pardo feels obligated to assist and asks for permission to take the woefully underequipped Yelcho out to attempt to save the men left on Elephant Island.

Black and white photograph of a man in a military uniform, wearing a cap with an animal head emblem, and holding binoculars.

“When you read this letter, either your son has died, or he has arrived at Punta Arenas with the castaways. I shall not return alone.”

Lt. Commander Luis Pardo to his father

Silhouetted group of men on a boat in the ocean with a larger ship in the background.

On August 30th, 1916, more than two and a half months since the James Caird departed, the steamer Yelcho piloted by Lt. Commander Pardo arrives at Elephant Island and rescues the remaining men

When the men return to Chile, Bro. Pardo’s mother lodge, Harmony No. 1411 in Valparaiso, held an emergency meeting to welcome Bro. Shackleton and his crew

“Freemasons the world over rejoiced at the successful termination of Brother Shackleton’s endeavors”

Bro. Pardo declined a £20,000 reward stating it was “sufficient enough to have complied with his duty”

In the end, the 27 men left with about 14 months of supplies and spent

~21 months total

  • 1 month sailing through the ice

  • 8 months stuck in pack ice

  • 6 months stranded on ice after the ship sinks

  • 5 months stranded on Elephant Island/rowing for rescue

  • 1 month to sail to Chile

And in the end, not one life was lost.

Statue of a soldier in military gear, wearing a helmet and backpack, inside a stone alcove with the name 'Shackleton' engraved at the base.

Statue of Bro. Sir Ernest Shackleton out side the Royal Geographic Society in London

Bronze bust of a military figure on a rust-colored pedestal with a plaque, set outdoors near rocky mountains and water.

Statue of Bro. Luis Pardo on Elephant Island