Overview

• Published in Polar Record, the analysis by Aalto University’s Jukka Tuhkuri integrates structural modeling with archival sources from the Endurance22 team’s 2022 wreck discovery.
• It concludes Endurance was not built for compressive pack‑ice, citing weaker deck beams and frames, an elongated machine compartment that weakened the hull, and the absence of diagonal bracing.
• The mechanism of loss is reassessed as compacting ice ripping away the keel and tearing the hull, rather than failure centered on the rudder.
• Diaries and letters indicate Shackleton recognized the vessel’s shortcomings before departure, including a note to his wife and earlier advice that another polar ship use diagonal beams.
• The study does not resolve why he sailed with Endurance, noting possible financial or timing pressures, and it frames the findings as technical clarity with relevance for modern polar engineering.