Hopes for Shackleton's Quest cabin to return to South Georgia
In 2009 Stig-Tore Lunde of SGHT Norway became aware that Sir Ernest Shackleton's cabin from his last voyage on the ship Quest, was located in Saltdal, Norway. It was not on view to the public and it's condition was deteriorating. Stig-Tore contacted the original donor of the cabin, Ulf Bakke, the Saltdal museum and Saltdal Kommune (the municipality). In November 2009 all parties agreed that the cabin could be transported to Grytviken, South Georgia, to become part of the South Georgia Museum.

Thanks to the generosity of the donor Ulf Bakke and the Saltdal museum and municipality, on Thursday 21st January 2010, the Quest cabin was transported to Sandefjord, Norway. Restoration work on the cabin will be undertaken by Norwegian craftsmen over the next year, in the hope that the cabin will be transported to South Georgia in the 2011-12 season.

To help SGHT restore the Quest cabin to its former condition and to return this remarkable piece of Shackleton's history to South Georgia, please donate here.

 

History of Quest cabin

Quest was built as a sealer in Norway in 1917 (as Foca II). It was bought in 1921 for Shackleton’s expedition and was taken to Southampton for rebuilding to an expedition vessel.  A large new deck-house was added in front of the existing superstructure. It included three parts consisting of two cabins each. One of them was used as a hydrographic room. The two rear cabins were used by  the captain (starboard) and Shackleton (port side) and is presumably where he died on 5 January 1922 at South Georgia.

After the return from the Antarctic, Quest was sold to Ludolf Schelderup, a sealer in Skånland (south of Bodø in Northern Norway).  It was rebuilt by Johan Drage in 1924 at a local shipyard in Rognan, and the deck-house was taken ashore. The three sections were then split and ended up at various locations in the region, used as summerhouses, storage sheds etc. The Shackleton cabin was kept by Johan Drage at his farm.

Eventually, Shackleton’s cabin was given to the local museum in Saltdalen in 1980. It was restored and officially made part of the exhibition. However, during the last years the cabin has not been open to the public.