Frank A. Worsley
| Frank Arthur Worsley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
22 February 1872 Akaroa, New Zealand |
| Died | 1 February 1943 (aged 70) Claygate, England |
| Allegiance |
 New Zealand
|
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy Reserve
|
| Years of service | 1902–1920 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Commands held | PC.61 HMS Pangloss HMS Cricket HMS M24 |
| Battles/wars |
First World War North Russia Intervention Second World War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order & Bar Officer of the Order of the British Empire Polar Medal Order of Saint Stanislaus (Imperial Russia) |
| Other work | Polar explorer Author Merchant Navy |
Frank Arthur Worsley DSO OBE RD (22 February 1872 – 1 February 1943) was a New Zealand sailor and explorer who served on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916, as captain of the Endurance. He also served in the Royal Navy Reserve during the First World War.
Born in Akaroa, New Zealand, on 22 February 1872, Worsley joined the New Zealand Shipping Company in 1888. He served aboard several vessels running trade routes between New Zealand, England and the South Pacific. While on South Pacific service, he became renowned for his ability to navigate to tiny, remote islands. He joined the Royal Navy Reserve in 1902 and served on HMS Swiftsure for a year before returning to the Merchant Navy. In 1914, he joined the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which aimed to cross the Antarctic continent.
After the expedition's ship Endurance was trapped in ice and wrecked, he and the rest of the expedition sailed three lifeboats to Elephant Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula. From here, he, along with Shackleton and four others, sailed the 22.5-foot (6.9 m) lifeboat James Caird some 800 miles (1,300 km) across the stormy South Atlantic Ocean, eventually arriving at their intended destination, South Georgia. His navigation skills were crucial to the safe arrival of the James Caird. Shackleton, Worsley and seaman Tom Crean then hiked and climbed through snow and ice across mountainous South Georgia in a 36-hour march to fetch help from Stromness whaling station. He and Shackleton returned to Elephant Island aboard the Yelcho, a Chilean naval ship, to rescue the remaining members of the expedition, all of whom survived.
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