''Quest'', a low-powered, schooner-rigged steamship that sailed from 1917 until sinking in 1962, is best known as the polar exploration vessel of the

Shackleton–Rowett Expedition The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The venture, financed by John Quiller Rowett, is sometimes referred to as the ...

of 1921–1922. It was aboard this vessel that Sir

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of ...

died on 5 January 1922 while the vessel was in harbour in South Georgia. Prior to and after the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, ''Quest'' operated in commercial service as a seal-hunting vessel or sealer. ''Quest'' was also the primary expedition vessel of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to the east coast of the island of

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

in 1930–1931. ''Quest'' was in length, had a beam of , and depth of hold. The vessel has been variously rated at 209 and 214 gross register tons, possibly due to the 1924 refit described below.

Shackleton-Rowett Expedition

''Quest'' was originally built in

Risør is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland, ...

, Norway in 1917 as the wooden-hulled sealer ''Foca I'' or ''Foca II''. She was the polar expedition vessel of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922. The vessel was renamed ''Quest'' by Lady Emily Shackleton, wife of expedition leader Ernest Shackleton. At the expense of expedition financier

John Quiller Rowett John Quiller Rowett (1876 – 1 October 1924) was a British businessman, philanthropist, and co-founder of the Rowett Research Institute. Shackleton A schoolfriend of Sir Ernest Shackleton at Dulwich College, Rowett was the sole financial back ...

, ''Quest'' was refitted for the expedition with modifications overseen by sailing master Frank Worsley, including re-rigging and the addition of a

deckhouse A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a deckhouse. Sailing ships In sailing ships, the officers and paying passengers wo ...

. Shackleton was a member of the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to w ...

, and so for this voyage ''Quest'' bore the RYS suffix and flew the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross ...

. Sailing from London for the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

on 17 September 1921, the ship reached South Georgia on 4 January 1922 while preparing to enter Antarctic waters. The following night Shackleton, the commander of the expedition, died aboard the vessel while she was at anchor in

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a settlement on South Georgia in the South Atlantic and formerly a whaling station and the largest settlement on the island. It is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, considered the b ...

. This ended all prospects of the expedition's carrying out its original program of exploring the Antarctic coastline of

Enderby Land Enderby Land is a projecting landmass of Antarctica. Its shore extends from Shinnan Glacier at about to William Scoresby Bay at , approximately of the earth's longitude. It was first documented in western and eastern literature in February 18 ...

. Led by

Frank Wild John Robert Francis Wild (18 April 1873 – 19 August 1939), known as Frank Wild, was an English sailor and explorer. He participated in five expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, for which he was awar ...

, ''Quest'' carried out a desultory survey of the

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...

area before returning to the South Atlantic. ''Quest'' touched the

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena a ...

archipelago in early May, and at

Inaccessible Island Inaccessible Island is a volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-west of Tristan da Cunha. Its highest point, Cairn Peak, reaches , and the island is in area. The volcano was last active six million years ago and is curren ...

, ornithologist

Hubert Wilkins Sir George Hubert Wilkins MC & Bar (31 October 188830 November 1958), commonly referred to as Captain Wilkins, was an Australian polar explorer, ornithologist, pilot, soldier, geographer and photographer. He was awarded the Military Cross afte ...

took type specimens of the grosbeak bunting. The expedition returned to England in July 1922, having posted disappointing results that were attributed both to replacement commander Wild's alcoholism and deficiencies in ''Quest's'' performance in polar sea ice. The weakly powered ship's

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

caused continuous difficulties, and the vessel's straight stem made her unsuitable for use in icy seas.

East Greenland Expeditions

''Quest'' was again refitted in Norway in 1924. During the refit, the sealer's Shackleton-Rowett deckhouse was salvaged for shore use. In 1928 the refitted vessel participated in the effort to rescue the survivors of the

Italia Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the Italy (geographical region) ...

Arctic airship crash. In 1930, the aging sealer, described as a "broad-beamed, tubby little ship, decks stacked with gear", served as the primary expedition vessel and transport from London to eastern Greenland for the explorers of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition led by

Gino Watkins Henry George "Gino" Watkins FRGS (29 January 1907 – c. 20 August 1932) was a British Arctic explorer and nephew of Bolton Eyres-Monsell, 1st Viscount Monsell. Biography Born in London, he was educated at Lancing College and acquired a lov ...

in 1930. Later she was the expedition ship of Count Gaston Micard's East Greenland ventures between 1932 and 1936.

Current status

''Quest'' returned to service as a sealing vessel after 1930. In 1935 she was used by the British East Greenland Expedition. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the wooden-hulled vessel was pressed into service as a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

and light cargo vessel. The small ship returned to sealing duties in 1946. On 5 May 1962, while on a seal-hunting expedition, ''Quest'' was holed by ice and sank off the north coast of

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

. The crew was saved. Parts of the former deckhouse, including Shackleton's quarters in 1921–1922, survive and, as of 2021 are in the Athy Heritage Center – Museum in Ireland. An archival collection of 476 photographs from the ''Quest''/Shackleton-Rowett Expedition is maintained by the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

References

{{coord, 53, 10, N, 54, 27, W, source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title Exploration ships of the United Kingdom Sealing ships Schooners Steamships of Norway Steamships of the United Kingdom World War II minesweepers of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of Norway Maritime incidents in 1962 1917 ships Ships built in Norway Ships of Nortraship Ernest Shackleton

Shackleton-Rowett Expedition

East Greenland Expeditions

Current status

See also

References