Shackleton memorial on South Georgia Island. Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) was an Irish explorer. In 1907 he set off on board the Nimrod for Antarctica, arriving at the Ross Ice Shelf in January 1908. In 1909, he attempted to reach the South Pole, but fell 155 kilometres short. In 1914, he embarked again for Antarctica on board the Endurance. This ship was crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea, and Shackleton and some of his crew had to row a lifeboat to South Georgia Island to seek help. Shackleton died of a heart attack on South Georgia at the start of another expedition.