Sir Ernest Shackleton's Final Expedition: Quest - 2022 Proof Sterling Silver 50 Pence Coin - SGA

Shackelton’s final expedition originally intended to go to the Arctic to explore the Beaufort Sea, but this plan was abandoned and the target changed to a circum-navigation of the Antarctic which would include exploration of the little known and sib-antarctic islands. Sailing from London for the Southern Ocean on 17 September 1921, the crew included eight of Shackleton's shipmates from the famous Endurance Expedition. Quest reached South Georgia on 4th January 1922. The following night, before the expedition’s work could properly begin, Shackleton unexpectedly passed away aboard the vessel while she was at anchor in Grytviken.  Shackleton was ultimately buried at the cemetery at Grytviken whaling station on 5th March and the ceremony was attended by hundreds of whalers and seamen. Today, visitors still flock to the site to pay their final respects to 'The Boss'. The major part of the subsequent attenuated expedition was a three-month cruise to the eastern Antarctic, under the leadership of the party's second-in-command, Frank Wild. Quest carried out a desultory survey of the Weddell Sea area before returning to the South Atlantic. Quest touched the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in early May, and at Inaccessible Island, ornithologist Hubert Wilkins took type specimens of the grosbeak bunting before returning to England in July 1922.