![steam crush crush 18 steam crush crush 18](https://cdn.tigthai.com/imguploads/201912/18/00885010015766564423987_steam18_main.jpg)
In such a situation she was dependent on the ultimate strength of her hull alone. Endurance, on the other hand, was designed with great inherent strength in her hull in order to resist collision with ice floes and to break through pack ice by ramming and crushing she was therefore not intended to be frozen into heavy pack ice, and so was not designed to rise out of a crush. Fram was bowl-bottomed, which meant that if the ice closed in against her, the ship would be squeezed up and out and not be subject to the pressure of the ice compressing around her. There was one major difference between the ships. As well as sails, Endurance had a 350 horsepower (260 kW) coal-fired steam engine capable of speeds up to 10.2 knots (18.9 km/h 11.7 mph).īy the time of her launch in 1912, Endurance was perhaps the strongest wooden ship ever built, with the possible exception of Fram, the vessel used by Fridtjof Nansen and later by Roald Amundsen. Of her three masts, the forward one was square-rigged, while the after two carried fore and aft sails, like a schooner. When put together, these pieces had a thickness of 52 inches (1,300 mm). Each timber had been made from a single oak tree chosen for its shape so that its natural shape followed the curve of the ship's design. The bow, which would meet the ice head-on, had been given special attention. She was built of planks of oak and Norwegian fir up to 30 inches (760 mm) thick, sheathed in greenheart, an exceptionally strong and heavy wood.
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Her keel members were four pieces of solid oak, one above the other, adding up to a thickness of 85 inches (2,200 mm), while its sides were between 30 inches (760 mm) and 18 inches (460 mm) thick, with twice as many frames as normal and the frames being of double thickness.
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She was designed for polar conditions with a very sturdy construction. Though her hull looked from the outside like that of any other vessel of a comparable size, it was not. As launched she had 10 passenger cabins, a spacious dining saloon and galley (with accommodation for two cooks), a smoking room, a darkroom to allow passengers to develop photographs, electric lighting and even a small bathroom. Her original purpose to provide luxurious accommodation for small tourist and hunting parties in the Arctic as an ice-capable steam yacht. She was 144 feet (44 m) long, with a 25 feet (7.6 m) beam, and measured 348 tons gross. The ship was launched on 17 December 1912 and was initially christened Polaris (eponymous with Polaris, the North Star). Every detail of her construction had been scrupulously planned to ensure maximum durability: for example, every joint and fitting was cross-braced for maximum strength. She was built under the supervision of master wood shipbuilder Christian Jacobsen, who was renowned for insisting that all men in his employment were not just skilled shipwrights but also be experienced in seafaring aboard whaling or sealing ships. Designed by Ole Aanderud Larsen, Endurance was built at the Framnæs shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway, and fully completed on 17 December 1912.