Shackleton's 'Endurance' Shipwreck Has Been Found & It Was Frozen In Time In Antarctica

Antarctica explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's legendary lost ship has been found, and it was almost perfectly preserved in the icy waters where it sank over a century ago.

Modern-day explorers announced on Wednesday that they'd discovered the shipwreck of the Endurance, which sank below the Antarctic ice in 1915.

"The discovery of the wreck is an incredible achievement," mission leader Dr. John Shears told the BBC. "We have successfully completed the world's most difficult shipwreck search, battling constantly shifting sea-ice, blizzards, and temperatures dropping down to -18C."

Researchers with the Falkland Maritime Heritage Trust were specifically looking for the Endurance in the Weddell Sea, where the ship was lost 106 years ago. It was their second time setting out to look for the shipwreck, and this time it took them less than two months to spot it.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's Ship 'Endurance.'Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust

"This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen," Mensun Bound, the expedition's director of exploration, said in a statement from the trust. "It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact and in a brilliant state of preservation."

Explorers used a submersible drone to hunt for the ship, and they ultimately found it about 3 kilometres below the surface.

They also captured some stunning photos and videos of the 144-foot-long, three-masted ship, which is looking pretty good for its age. You could almost see this thing in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie — if the Caribbean were near the South Pole.

There are a few spiny-looking sea creatures and anemones on the ship's hull, but it's still more or less in once piece, minus the masts.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's Ship 'Endurance.'Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust

As Bound points out, you can even see the name Endurance written clearly across the stern of the boat.

Sir Ernest Shackleton was one of the most important explorers for mapping Antarctica, and he lost the Endurance on a failed mission to cross Antarctica by land in 1915.

The ship became stuck in some sea ice, and Shackleton and his crew had to abandon it and ride a few tiny lifeboats back to civilization.

The explorers left the wreck behind on Tuesday, with plans to visit Shackleton's grave and pay their "respects" after the discovery, BBC reports.