The “world’s most difficult shipwreck search” for Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance, lost more than a century ago in the icy waters of Antarctica, has been successful.

The wreck was discovered 3,008 metres beneath the surface of what Shackleton referred to as “the worst portion of the worst sea in the world.” The discovery was made on Saturday, the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s funeral, according to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.

The Endurance22 expedition, which left Cape Town a month ago, had “reached its goal,” according to Dr. John Shears, the expedition’s veteran geographer. “With the discovery of Endurance, we made polar history and successfully completed the world’s most difficult shipwreck search.”

He hoped that “what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together” would inspire people.

The famous name, arcing across the submerged ship’s wooden stern, has been preserved by the freezing waters and the absence of wood-eating organisms.

The Endurance was discovered off the coast of Antarctica, about four miles south of the position recorded by its captain, Frank Worsley. It hasn’t been seen since November 1915, when it was crushed by ice and sank in the Weddell Sea.

The expedition’s director of exploration, Mensun Bound, stated that footage showed the 144-foot ship to be in good condition.

“We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in finding and photographing Endurance,” he said.

“This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation … This is a milestone in polar history.”

The expedition’s historian and broadcaster, Dan Snow, said the mood on board ship was upbeat, and the team was on its way home.

“The wreck is coherent, in an astonishing state of preservation,” he tweeted. The Antarctic seabed is devoid of wood-eating microorganisms, and the water is as clear as distilled water. We were able to film the wreck in 4K resolution. Endurance22’s results are magical.”

“Nothing was touched on the wreck,” he added. Nothing was found. It was surveyed using cutting-edge technology, and its position was confirmed. The Antarctic Treaty protects it. We also didn’t want to mess with it.”

Endurance was designated a historic monument under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959.

The expedition ship, the SA Agulhas II, was carrying a team of 64 people as well as a crew of 46. An anonymous donor contributed $10 million to the mission. An earlier attempt to find the Endurance three years ago failed.

Famously, Shackleton lost his ship but saved his crew. In December 1914, he set sail from South Georgia with 27 men, bound for Vahsel Bay on the eastern side of the Weddell Sea. The plan was to travel across the vast Antarctic ice sheet to the south pole, then continue on to the Ross Sea on the other side of the continent.

The Endurance, however, encountered polar pack ice two days after leaving South Georgia. By early January, the ship had become stranded, and the crew eventually decamped to the ice, taking the ship’s stores of food and other provisions, as well as three open lifeboats. The Endurance finally sank on November 21, 1915, with Captain Worsley recording its location.

Shackleton and his party camped on the ice floes for another five months before sailing to Elephant Island in lifeboats. Shackleton, Worsley, and four others sailed 800 miles to South Georgia in freezing temperatures and rough seas. They organised the rescue of the rest of the crew, who were picked up alive within months.

Shackleton and his party camped on the ice floes for another five months before sailing to Elephant Island in lifeboats. Shackleton, Worsley, and four others sailed 800 miles to South Georgia in freezing temperatures and rough seas. They organised the rescue of the rest of the crew, who were found alive months later.

In addition to discovering Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance22 expedition conducted important scientific research in a region of the world that has a direct impact on the global climate and environment, according to Shears.

“We have also conducted an unprecedented educational outreach programme, with live broadcasting from on board, allowing new generations from around the world to engage with Endurance22 and be inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, as well as what humans can achieve and overcome when they work together.”