William Minshall Birchall (British, 1884-1941) Quest leaving Plymouth in 1921 for the Shackleton...

William Minshall Birchall (British, 1884-1941) Quest leaving Plymouth in 1921 for the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition signed, dated and inscribed 'The 'Quest' leaving Plymouth. 24.9.1921/W.M.Birchall' (lower right) watercolour heightened with white 34 x 50.8cm (13 3/8 x 20in). Footnotes: The Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition was Sir Ernest Shackleton's fourth and final Antarctic expedition. Sir Ernest Shackleton purchased Quest, a two-masted wooden schooner, especially for the 1921 expedition. Built in Norway in 1917, she was designed for Arctic waters and had a 125-horsepower steam engine and a reinforced bow sheathed in steel. However, she needed extensive refitting for the Antarctic and modifications were made. Despite the refitting, the vessel soon proved inadequate from the early stages of the voyage. Poor sailing performance and frequent engine problems meant the journey to the Southern Ocean was slow and fraught with delays. Sadly, Shackleton never made it to the Antarctic as he died on board the ship, just after its arrival at the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Although the expedition continued under the command of Frank Wild, the ship's shortcomings made it impossible to reach the intended destination. In June 1922 Quest was ordered to return to England, ending the expedition. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing