Quest
Marker: recorded wreck position (Date not recorded).
Key facts
| Name | Quest | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Ship type | schooner, steamship | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | Norway | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Sea / ocean | Labrador Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Canada | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 90 km from land |
| Position | 53.1667, -54.4500 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
Quest was a low-powered, schooner-rigged steamship that sailed from 1917 until sinking in 1962, best known as the polar exploration vessel of the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922. It was aboard this vessel that Sir Ernest Shackleton died on 5 January 1922 while in harbour in South Georgia. Prior to and after the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition, Quest operated in commercial service as a seal-hunting vessel or "sealer". Quest was also the primary expedition vessel of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to the east coast of the island of Greenland in 1930–1931.
Quest was 111 feet (34 m) in length, had a beam of 24 feet (7.3 m), and 12 feet (3.7 m) depth of hold. The vessel has been variously rated at 209 and 214 gross register tons, possibly due to the 1924 refit described below.
Diving & visiting
Quest returned to service as a sealing vessel after 1930. In 1935 she was used by the British East Greenland Expedition. During World War II the wooden-hulled vessel was pressed into service as a minesweeper and light cargo vessel with Nortraship and the British navy. The small ship returned to her owners' sealing trade in 1946. On 5 May 1962, while on a seal-hunting expedition, Quest was holed by crushing ice and sank off the north coast of Labrador. The crew was saved.
Parts of the former deckhouse, including Shackleton's cabin in 1921–1922, survive and, as of 2021 are in the Athy Heritage Center – Museum in Ireland.
Location
- Recorded position: 53.1667, -54.4500 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Labrador Sea
- Nearest coast: Canada
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Quest (ship) (revision 1369594326), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Return to service, sinking and discovery”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
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