Endurance: The lost ship has been found after 107 years!

A ship has been discovered an incredible 107 years after it sank!

Scientists recently found the remains of the Endurance ship, which was the lost vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, at the bottom of the Weddell Sea.

Plans of an expedition to find the ship were first announced earlier this year . It sank in 1915 after getting crushed by the ice in the sea, with Shackleton and his men successfully escaping in smaller boats.

Now, scientists have been able to capture incredible images of the ship deep below the sea's surface. Although the vessel has been more than 3,000 metres under water for over 100 years, it's been found to still be in pretty good condition.

The ruins of wreckages can be left in a poor state if taken over by shipworms which like to munch on wood. Although the Endurance is currently surrounded by marine life, they aren't types that would feed on the materials it's made from.

The ship was found in good condition and the name can still be seen

"Without any exaggeration this is the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen - by far," said marine archaeologist Mensun Bound.

"It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation," he told the BBC. It's name - Endurance - is still clearly visible on the ship's stern and the timber is still together.

Dr Michelle Taylor from Essex University said: "The Endurance, looking like a ghost ship, is sprinkled with an impressive diversity of deep-sea marine life - stalked sea squirts, anemones, sponges of various forms, brittlestars, and crinoids (related to urchins and sea stars), all filter feeding nutrition from the cool deep waters of the Weddell Sea."

The ship was found 3,008 metres below the surface of the Weddell Sea which is known for being covered in thick sea-ice

Geographer Dr John Shears, who is heading up the mission, described the moment cameras landed on the ship's name as "jaw-dropping".

"The discovery of the wreck is an incredible achievement," he added.

"We have successfully completed the world's most difficult shipwreck search, battling constantly shifting sea-ice, blizzards, and temperatures dropping down to -18C. We have achieved what many people said was impossible."

Why is this ship so important?

The story of the Endurance and her crew is an epic one and all of Shackleton's crew survived the terrible conditions.

After spending ten months on ship - trapped in the ice, Shackleton and his crew abandoned it, living on top of the Antarctic ice for almost two years before, in April 1916, Shackleton took five crew members to find help.

The Endurance's ill-fated voyage marked the end of the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration

They spent 16 days crossing 1,300km of ocean in a small boat with no navigating equipment to reach the island of South Georgia, where they trekked to a whaling station for help. He then went back to rescue all 22 men that he'd left behind, rescuing them on 30th August 1916.