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The ''Quest'', a low-powered, schooner-rigged steamship that sailed from 1917 until sinking in 1962, is best known as the polar exploration vessel of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition of 1921-1922. It was aboard this vessel that Sir Ernest Shackleton died on 5 January 1922 while the vessel was in harbour in South Georgia. Prior to and after the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, the ''Quest'' operated in commercial service as a seal-hunting vessel or sealer. The ''Quest'' was also the primary expedition vessel of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to the east coast of the island of Greenland in 1930-1931. The ''Quest'' was in length, had a beam of , and drew .〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Antarctic Ships )〕 The vessel has been variously rated at 209 and 214 gross register tons,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=M/S Quest )〕 possibly due to the 1924 refit described below. ==Shackleton-Rowett Expedition== The ''Quest'' was originally built in Risør, Norway in 1917 as the wooden-hulled sealer ''Foca I''〔 or ''Foca II''. It was the polar expedition vessel of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition of 1921-1922. The vessel was renamed ''Quest'' by Lady Emily Shackleton, wife of expedition leader Ernest Shackleton. At the expense of expedition financier John Quiller Rowett, the ''Quest'' was refitted for the expedition with modifications overseen by sailing master Frank Worsley, including re-rigging and the addition of a deckhouse. Shackleton was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and so for this voyage the ''Quest'' bore the RYS suffix and flew the White Ensign.〔 Sailing from London for the Southern Ocean on 17 September 1921, the ship reached South Georgia on 4 January 1922 while preparing to enter Antarctic waters. The following night Shackleton, the commander of the expedition, died aboard the vessel while it was at anchor in Grytviken. This ended all prospects of the expedition's carrying out its original program of exploring the Antarctic coastline of Enderby Land.〔 Led by Frank Wild, the ''Quest'' carried out a desultory survey of the Weddell Sea area before returning to the South Atlantic. The ''Quest'' touched the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in early May,〔 and at Inaccessible Island, ornithologist Hubert Wilkins took type specimens of the grosbeak bunting. The expedition returned to England in July 1922, having posted disappointing results that were attributed both to replacement commander Wild's alcoholism〔 and deficiencies in the ''Quest's'' performance in polar sea ice. The weakly powered ship's engine caused continuous difficulties, and the vessel's straight stem made her unsuitable for use in icy seas.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Quest (ship)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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