Wreck of Quest, Sir Ernest Shackleton ’s last ship, found in Labrador Sea

IN THIS EMAIL:

- RCGS-led team finds wreck of Quest, Ernest Shackleton's last ship, in Labrador Sea

- Explore Vancouver's iconic Stanley Park on a walk with bestselling author Bill Arnott

- Listen to our latest Here & There podcast episode, which explores the ancient homeland of Canada’s Torngat Mountains

- Looking for your next adventure? Learn more about Adventure Canada and their exciting journey into the Northwest Passage with RCGS Ambassador Ken McGoogan

Wreck of Quest, famed Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s last ship, found in Labrador Sea
An expedition led by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society found the vessel intact and upright at a depth of 390 metres

By Alexandra Pope

A Royal Canadian Geographical Society-led expedition has discovered the wreck of the famed exploration vessel Quest in the Labrador Sea. Celebrated polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died aboard Quest in 1922 while en route to Antarctica, marking the end of what some historians call the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration. The wreck lies upright and intact on the seabed in 390 metres of water northwest of St. John’s and east of Battle Harbour, Labrador.

Quest was damaged by ice while on a seal hunt off the Labrador coast in the traditional waters of the Mi’kmaq, Innu and Inuit, and sank on May 5, 1962. The vessel’s ultimate resting place is poignant given that Shackleton originally intended to use Quest for a Canadian Arctic expedition before the government of then-Prime Minister Arthur Meighen pulled the plug. Forced to change plans at the eleventh hour, Shackleton then headed south to Antarctica. The find creates a tangible link between Canada and a towering figure in polar exploration.

Stanley Park: Vancouver’s iconic greenspace

Bestselling author Bill Arnott takes readers on a journey through Vancouver’s most popular park in anticipation of his new book, A Perfect Day for a Walk
Story and photography by Bill Arnott

I’m exploring, or rather, re-exploring, Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the peninsular west tip of the city, an expansive greenspace comparable to London’s Hyde Park and New York’s Central Park combined. A crow glides by, clutching a mussel, as I walk the park’s perimeter, clockwise, on sea-hugging walkways and serpentine roads, now misty in delicate rain.

Starlings and pigeons peck at aerated grass, and daffodils blanket a south-facing slope. The park at the moment is quintessential Pacific Northwest: steely sea with an evergreen fog. Fronting the beach, the shared footpath and cycle route widen, inviting and pedestrian friendly. Two geese cross the road on a zebra-stripe crosswalk. Traffic comes to a halt as the birds thwack along with everyone else.

Here & There PODCAST
Beauty and darkness: The Northern Labrador Inuit homeland

Into the wild beauty and the ancient homeland of Canada’s Torngat Mountains with podcast host Liz Beatty

Our trusty 60s-era Twin Otter fires up for a flight to the Torngat Mountains National Park in Northern Labrador that will feel not unlike passing through the looking glass. Azure skies and the bright red plane wing contrast a lacework of rivers, estuaries and coastal mountains below.

Slowly, the land begins, almost rising up beneath us as we approach Canada’s tallest mountains east of the Rockies. Forests begin to disappear, revealing bald, ancient rock, craggy and striated by glaciers long gone. Icebergs appear along the shore, the size of a city block. The weather is good. So somewhere north of Nain, our pilot delivers on a promise to fly low, keeping an eye out for polar bears. And minutes later, there she is — a mother leading her cub over a rocky mound of an island that seems just afloat in the North Atlantic. Though teeming with wildlife of far-northern climes, this natural wonderland below is still nowhere near the most compelling reason to come here. In this very special episode, we find out what is.

Canadian Geographic Adventures

Featured partner: Adventure Canada

Follow in the footsteps of early Arctic explorers on an epic journey through the world’s most famous waterway: the Northwest Passage. There’s no better way to do it than an Adventure Canada small-ship expedition cruise.

Begin your journey by crossing the Arctic circle and exploring western Greenland’s mighty mountain-scapes. Take your time enjoying Tallurutiup Imanga Marine Conservation Area and Prince Regent Inlet — spot Arctic wildlife, such as polar bears, narwhal, walruses and beluga whales, while knowing tour trip is supporting conservation efforts.

Sail through one of the world’s most celebrated ocean routes and witness breathtaking icy landscapes alongside knowledgeable Inuit cultural educators and expedition experts.

Photos: A voyage through the Northwest Passage

Photographer-In-Residence Michelle Valberg shares images of the Arctic from her time aboard the Canada C3 Expedition

Story and photography by Michelle Valberg