Side-scan sonar aids discovery of Shackleton’s final ship

Led by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), the Shackleton Quest Expedition assembled an international team of oceanographers, historians and divers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States. Before taking to the seas, the team researched historic logs and maps, cross referencing historical data with modern technology to determine where the ship may have been located based on currents, weather conditions and other factors.

Five days into the mission proper, the expedition located the remains of Quest using side-scan sonar equipment operated by experts from Memorial University’s Marine Institute, a leader in ocean research. Side-scan uses a sonar device that emits conical or fan-shaped pulses toward the seafloor across a wide angle perpendicular to the path of the sensor through the water. Quest was found 390m beneath the surface, in good condition.

“I can definitively confirm that we have found the wreck of the Quest,” said search director David Mearns.