First detailed footage of Captain Scott’s shipwreck reveals intact features and marine life colonisation
New expedition records extensive imagery of the Terra Nova, the vessel that carried Robert Falcon Scott and later sank in 1943 off Greenland
Researchers have recorded the most detailed footage to date of the Terra Nova, the polar exploration ship that carried Captain Robert Falcon Scott on his doomed 1912 Antarctic expedition and later sank while serving in World War Two.
The wreck, lying about 170 metres below the surface off the coast of Greenland, was filmed in detail for the first time during a recent expedition that provided the first opportunity to gather extensive imagery since the vessel was discovered in 2012. The footage shows the wooden hull largely colonised by marine life but retains recognisable ship features including the wheel, winch and mast.
The Terra Nova is closely associated with the tragic story of Scott and his party, who reached the South Pole only to die on their return journey in 1912 after losing the race to the pole. After the Antarctic expedition, the ship continued in service for other voyages and ultimately sank in 1943 while carrying supplies to United States bases during the Second World War.
The wreck was located by the Schmidt Ocean Institute in 2012, but the recent mission permitted detailed documentation using underwater cameras and remotely operated systems. Scientists report that while the wooden structure has been heavily encrusted by sea organisms, many original fittings remain visible, allowing historians and marine archaeologists to study construction details and the state of preservation at depth.
The images and video provide new material for researchers examining early 20th-century polar exploration and the subsequent maritime history of Antarctic vessels. Marine growth and seabed conditions at the 170-metre depth have contributed to both the deterioration and the preservation of particular features, according to the expedition's documentation.
Preservation of historic shipwrecks in polar and subpolar waters yields insights into past voyages and naval operations as well as contemporary marine ecosystems that colonise submerged structures. The Terra Nova footage joins a growing body of deep-sea documentation that informs conservation, historical interpretation and potential future surveys.
Further analysis of the imagery is expected to continue as researchers catalogue visible components and compare them with archival plans and photographs of the ship. The new record strengthens the historical record of the Terra Nova and offers a rare underwater view of a vessel central to one of the most enduring narratives of polar exploration.
