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British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s last ship found off Canada coast

  • Ernest Shackleton died on the Quest on his final expedition to Antarctica, though the vessel remained in use until it sank in the 1960s

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A sonar image shows the wreck of the Quest on the seabed. Photo: Royal Canadian Geographical Society via Reuters

Famed British polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s last expedition ship Quest has been found at the bottom of the Atlantic off Canada’s coast, searchers announced on Wednesday.

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Royal Canadian Geographical Society boss John Geiger told a news conference the shipwreck was found in the Labrador Sea at a depth of 390 metres (1,280 feet).

“This is a very important vessel historically. It was the final expedition ship of Sir Shackleton,” Geiger said.

“He died on this ship on his final expedition” to Antarctica, Geiger said – though the vessel remained in use for decades after until it sank in the 1960s.

The Quest sinking in 1962. File photo: Royal Canadian Geographical Society via AP
The Quest sinking in 1962. File photo: Royal Canadian Geographical Society via AP

Searchers using sonar discovered the wooden-hulled, schooner-rigged steamship on Sunday.

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Shipwreck hunter David Mearns said they measured its precise dimensions and compared them to the known dimensions of the Quest, “and they’re spot on”.

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