Rebecca Stephens MBE and Michael Palin CBE to Celebrate Shackleton Centenary with Silversea

News provided by

Sep 30, 2015, 01:34 ET

MONACO, Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Silversea Expeditions, the ultra-luxury cruise line, will be operating a series of unique voyages to Antarctica in 2015 and 2016 to mark the centenary of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition. World-renowned explorers Rebecca Stephens MBE and Michael Palin CBE will be supporting this historic event with Silversea Expeditions and the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Rebecca Stephens MBE with members of Silversea expedition team.

"Endurance" frozen in the ice photographed by Frank Hurley, Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-1917.

The story of how Shackleton led his men in the Weddell Sea party over ice and ocean to safety is one of the greatest survival tales in human history. In November 1915 Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, could no longer navigate the frozen waters of Antarctica and his expedition team were faced with the daunting task of surviving both the unforgiving climate and environment while waiting for the ice to break up again.

In November 2015, marking 100 years since the stricken expedition team managed to endure 138 days in one of the most inhospitable places on earth, the first in a series of unique Silversea expedition voyages will depart Ushuaia, Argentina, to retrace Shackleton's journey to Antarctica. Explorer and journalist Rebecca Stephens MBE, who was the first British woman to climb Everest and the Seven Summits, will be on Silver Explorer as part of the exclusive onboard enrichment program providing an insight into her experiences while trekking in some of the most remote regions on the planet.

"The story of Shackleton's Endurance expedition is a testament to humankind's determination and quest for discovery. Celebrating this unique centennial anniversary with Silversea Expeditions and the Royal Geographical Society is an opportunity to rediscover and bring to life this unique moment in history," said Rebecca Stephens MBE.

Continuing the centenary celebrations during November Silversea, in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), will host a unique Shackleton experience at the RGS headquarters for one evening in central London with the renowned travel writer, broadcaster and actor Michael Palin CBE as guest of honor.

The evening will mark the opening of a major exhibition "The Enduring Eye: the Antarctic Legacy of Sir Ernest Shackleton and Frank Hurley," which will be held at the RGS from the end of November 2015 to the end of February 2016.

Michael Palin's journeys have taken him across the world, including the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe, and Brazil. In 2000 Palin was honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television and between 2009 and 2012 he was president of the Royal Geographical Society.

Guests booking one of the Antarctica 18-day voyages in November 2015, January, February, and December 2016, will hear from distinguished historians on board and visit iconic areas of the Antarctic including Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands, where Shackleton and his crew were stranded for 105 days.

The Antarctica voyages will call at South Georgia, where Shackleton and five of his crew first touched land after crossing 878 miles (1,413 kilometers) of ocean. Guests will also be able to visit Shackleton's burial site in Grytviken.

Silversea's long-term partnership with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) will bring other benefits for those booked to travel on Silver Explorer. An exclusive onboard exhibition will show a specially curated gallery of images by the Endurance's official photographer Frank Hurley, who documented the expedition on film and through iconic stills photography.

To find out more about Silversea's Shackleton Centenary Voyages to Antarctica, please visit: http://www.silversea.com/expeditions/royal-geographical-society/shackletons-centenary/.

About Silversea Cruises
Silversea Cruises, which is chaired by Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, is recognized as an innovator in the ultra-luxury cruise line industry, offering guests large-ship amenities aboard its intimate, all-suite vessels: Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, Silver Spirit -- and launching in 2017, Silver Muse -- all designed to offer an atmosphere of conviviality and casual elegance. With the inclusion of the expedition ships Silver Explorer, Silver Galapagos, and Silver Discoverer, Silversea Cruises' itineraries encompass all seven continents and feature worldwide luxury cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, both polar regions and over 800 fascinating destinations in between.