Endurance found (Sir Ernest Shackleton)

[Fielder 3,663]

Nobody else mentioned it, so I guess I'll put it up here. One of the crew took lots of movies and still shots back there a hundred years ago. Endurance was found about 2 miles from where it sank.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/endurance-ernest-shackletons-lost-ship-found-after-107-years-11646821921

 

 

 

[Chock 17,769]

Pretty well preserved condition considering it's been underwater for over a century.

[W2DR 1,860]

It's amazing what cold water will do. All of the "thingies" that would normally destroy a wooden vessel can't live that environment. I'd love to see it salvaged and brought into the sunlight again. What a piece of history.

[martin-w 3,235]

17 hours ago, W2DR said:

It's amazing what cold water will do. All of the "thingies" that would normally destroy a wooden vessel can't live that environment. I'd love to see it salvaged and brought into the sunlight again. What a piece of history.

 

Yep, very cold water and minimal species that feed on wood. I'm wondering if it would deteriorate rapidly if brought to the surface. 

3,000 metres down. 😲

 

 

[W2DR 1,860]

I think it would deteriorate Martin. But I understand that there are preservatives that could be applied to stop that from happening. I hope that someday someone tries this. She deserves another day in the sun.

[martin-w 3,235]

Well they raised the Mary Rose of course that sunk in the 1500's.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Rose

Shackleton ship is very deep though. The pressure at 3,000 metres must be extreme.

[Fielder 3,663]

the Mary Rose cargo included 140 long bows for Henry's army. The draw weight being about a zillion pounds. Crossbows have a large draw weight, but these are long bows where you have to hold the bow drawn, not just jerk it to a lock.

Robert Hardy (who played Siegfried Farnum on All Creatures Great and Small) is the longbow expert who catalogued the bows, most were in the 150 to 160 pound range.

 

 

 

 

 

[W2DR 1,860]

3 hours ago, martin-w said:

The pressure at 3,000 metres must be extreme.

Attributed to N. Sullivan:

Assuming seawater TDS  (total dissolved solids) content = 3.5% = 35,000 mg/l

Water density p = 1.035 kg/l

Water depth h = 3,000 meters

Water pressure = pgh = 1.035 × 9.81 × 3,000 = 30,460.05 N/m^2 = 30.46 tons/m^2

For those us in The Colonies that's  4,330 PSI.

[martin-w 3,235]

9 hours ago, Fielder said:

the Mary Rose cargo included 140 long bows for Henry's army. The draw weight being about a zillion pounds. Crossbows have a large draw weight, but these are long bows where you have to hold the bow drawn, not just jerk it to a lock.

Robert Hardy (who played Siegfried Farnum on All Creatures Great and Small) is the longbow expert who catalogued the bows, most were in the 150 to 160 pound range.

 

When I used to visit Warwick Castle in the UK, they used to have a tent set up where they were making longbows. Doubt they were the huge draw weight of the ones used by Henry's army, but fascinating all the same.

The soldiers that drew those bows weren't like people of today, they were much more hardy. Practicing the bow from a very young age and working hard on the land.

[Fielder 3,663]

I never had the privilege of seeing one made. It could be expensive to buy one made by hand.

But I do shoot a cheap one from a guy on eBay who only charges about $50 but they are made to the same cross section pattern as the English bow. Which is different from the many primitive native cultures and from the so called 'longbows' in sporting goods stores today. The cross section of the proper English longbow limbs is almost rectangular, never flat, never round. The important difference was the squarish cross section which makes the draw and release smoother and quieter than modern style bows or traditional bows from any other culture.

Also, no re-curve at the ends. This gives up speed but increases smoothness and therefore accuracy. The speed is restored back by making the limbs much longer. So these bows were powerful and accurate but not easily carried through brush or forest or when riding, i.e. not very portable.