Ross Sea Party (Support for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–1917)

1. Shackleton sets Ross Sea depot mission

   Sep 18, 1914Labels: Ernest Shackleton, Ross Sea, Imperial Trans-Antarctic

   Ernest Shackleton planned the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. A separate Ross Sea Party was assigned to lay food and fuel depots on the Ross Ice Shelf (then often called the Great Ice Barrier) so the crossing party could finish the last part of the journey. This support plan made the Ross Sea Party’s work essential even though it would happen on the opposite side of the continent.

   • Ross Sea party

2. Aurora departs Hobart for Ross Sea

   Dec 24, 1914Labels: Aurora ship, Hobart

   After delays in funding and organization, the expedition ship Aurora sailed from Hobart carrying the Ross Sea Party toward McMurdo Sound. The late start reduced the time available for acclimatizing men and dogs before depot work. This delay helped shape later decisions to begin sledging quickly despite risks.

   • Trans Antarctic
   • Ross Sea party

3. Ross Sea Party reaches McMurdo Sound

   Jan 15, 1915Labels: McMurdo Sound, Cape Evans, Aeneas Mackintosh

   Aurora arrived at McMurdo Sound and the party established its base at Cape Evans on Ross Island. Commander Aeneas Mackintosh moved rapidly to start depot-laying because he believed Shackleton might attempt the crossing that same season. The combination of inexperience and limited time increased the chance of mistakes and injury.

   • Trans Antarctic
   • Ross Sea party

4. First depot-laying journey begins

   Jan 24, 1915Labels: Depot-laying, sledging party

   Mackintosh ordered an early start for the first season’s depot work, sending sledging parties onto the Barrier. The men and dogs were not fully acclimatized, and the party had limited experience with Antarctic travel conditions. The results were poor, including major losses of dogs and only a partial depot laid, weakening plans for the season.

   • Ross Sea party
   • Trans Antarctic

5. Aurora breaks free and drifts away

   May 7, 1915Labels: Aurora ship, Cape Evans

   A gale tore Aurora from her moorings at Cape Evans, and she was carried out to sea trapped in pack ice. Ten men were stranded ashore with much of their fuel, clothing, and equipment gone on the ship. This accident forced the shore party to improvise using supplies left from earlier expeditions at Cape Evans and nearby huts.

   • Trans Antarctic
   • Aurora drift

6. Second season depot work starts from Cape Evans

   Sep 1, 1915Labels: Cape Evans, Hut Point

   Despite being stranded, the shore party began the second season’s planned depot-laying work on schedule. They first hauled large quantities of supplies from Cape Evans to Hut Point, creating a forward staging base. Completing this step kept the mission alive, but it required exhausting man-hauling and careful rationing.

   • Ross Sea party
   • Trans Antarctic

7. Final Mount Hope depot is laid

   Jan 26, 1916Labels: Mount Hope, Beardmore Glacier

   The main southward push reached Mount Hope near the foot of the Beardmore Glacier, where the last and most southerly depot was placed. This completed the intended chain of depots across the Ross Ice Shelf for the transcontinental crossing. By this stage, several men were severely weakened, and the effort set up a dangerous struggle to return alive.

   • Mackintosh bio
   • Ross Sea party

8. Aurora breaks out of pack ice

   Feb 12, 1916Labels: Aurora ship

   After months trapped in ice, Aurora finally reached open water and headed for repairs. News of the ship’s survival meant a future rescue was possible, but the shore party remained isolated and still committed to finishing the depot line. The separation also meant the shore party could not easily receive updated instructions about Shackleton’s plans.

   • Trans Antarctic
   • Aurora drift

9. Spencer-Smith dies returning from depot journey

   Mar 9, 1916Labels: Arnold Spencer-Smith, scurvy

   On the return north, scurvy and exhaustion struck the party hard, and chaplain-photographer Arnold Spencer-Smith collapsed. He died on the Barrier, and was buried in the ice. His death showed the human cost of completing the depots with limited fresh food and worn-out equipment.

   • Relief report
   • Spencer Smith

10. Mackintosh and Hayward lost on sea ice

    May 8, 1916Labels: Aeneas Mackintosh, Victor Hayward

    After the depot-laying party reached Hut Point and began recovering, Mackintosh and Victor Hayward attempted to cross unstable sea ice toward Cape Evans. They were overtaken by a blizzard and never seen again. Their disappearance left the remaining men leaderless in the field and underscored the risks of travel even near the base area.

    • Relief report
    • Trans Antarctic

11. Aurora sails on the relief expedition

    Dec 20, 1916Labels: Aurora ship, John King, Shackleton

    With Shackleton’s Weddell Sea crossing abandoned after Endurance was lost, attention turned to rescuing the stranded Ross Sea shore party. Aurora was repaired and sailed from Port Chalmers under Captain John King Davis, with Shackleton aboard as a supernumerary officer for shore operations. The relief mission was delayed by funding and coordination, extending the shore party’s isolation into a third year.

    • NZ History
    • Polar Record

12. Aurora rescues the seven survivors at Cape Evans

    Jan 10, 1917Labels: Cape Evans, survivors

    Aurora arrived at Cape Evans and picked up the seven surviving members of the Ross Sea shore party. The rescue confirmed that the depots had been laid, but also that the intended transcontinental crossing had never happened, making the support work tragically unnecessary for its original purpose. The rescue ended the Ross Sea Party’s ordeal and closed the final chapter of Shackleton’s expedition.

    • Relief report
    • NZ History