New technology shedding light on Shackleton's ill-fated ship

New technology is shedding light on an old mystery.

Montreal researchers have uncovered details about the Endurance, which sunk in Antarctica over a century ago.

After more than 100 years submerged in the depths, images have emerged of Sir Ernest Shackelton's ill-fated wreck thanks to new subsea scanning technology, 3D reconstruction and a team of researchers.

The vessel can now be seen as if murky waters were drained away.

"Cameras and laser scanners were put on an underwater vehicle, an autonomous underwater robot, and, once the wreckage was found, one of the first tasks is actually mapping the ship," said McGill University professor James Forbes.

Forbes said ensuring the robots' accurate navigation was key.

"We collect laser point cloud data and we stitch together various laser images, which in turn enhances the navigation solution," said Forbes. "If you have a very accurate navigation solution, then you can build a very accurate, three dimensional model of the wreck."

The Endurance went down in the Weddell Sea during Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition. After getting trapped by ice, it sank more than 3,000 metres.

However, not a single life was lost.

In 2022, the wreckage was discovered, and with today's advances, human touches such as plates and even Shackelton's boot can be seen.

"There was a 3D photogrammetry model created using the images that were taken with the Voyis camera, and what's really exciting about that is then you have this 3D model, so it's more than just a 2D picture," said Forbes.

Forbes said the technology could go beyond shipwrecks and lend itself to any number of submarine inspection tasks, such as underwater bridge and turbine inspections.