MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Royal Navy paid tribute to its Chilean counterpart bravery and expertise

Baroness Chapman, “in UK we’ve all heard of Ernest Shackleton, but not enough people know about what Luis Pardo did. He’s a real hero. Many others would never have been so brave.”

The Royal Navy paid homage to the bravery and expertise of its Chilean counterpart during a ceremony in Punta Arenas. The commander of the ship which rescued sailors from Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance has been recognized by the UK during icebreaker HMS Protector’s port stop in Chile.

The Chilean Navy pilot, Luis Pardo, carried out a heroic rescue of Shackleton’s men from the ill-fated Endurance, who had been trapped for many months on Elephant Island – their refuge following the loss of their ship in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Pardo and his crew on the cutter Yelcho took huge risks to save the British sailors. A monument, featuring a statue of the officer and part of his vessel, stands to commemorate the courageous rescue on the waterfront of the southern port of Punta Arenas.

British Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Baroness Jenny Chapman, on a visit to Chile, with the help of sailors from HMS Protector, and British Ambassador to Chile, Louise De Sousa, unveiled a new commemorative plaque to pay tribute to Pardo’s feats 108 years ago.

The Royal Navy’s icebreaker provided a fitting backdrop – alongside the city’s historic pier – as the ceremony took place, marking the return of the Yelcho from its successful mission with Shackleton’s crew on 3 September 1916.

RN Ice Patrol Protector stopped in Punta Arenas for maintenance ahead of the second phase of her own Antarctic mission, having just completed scientific and survey operations in the region.

“It’s been excellent to speak with the navy here to remember a hero of Chile, Luis Pardo,” said Baroness Chapman. “In the UK, we’ve all heard of Ernest Shackleton, but not enough people know about what Luis Pardo did. He’s a real hero. What he did, many others would never have been so brave.”

The event was also attended by a range of representatives, including academics, scientists, diplomats, and regional governors – as well as defense and security members.

The guests also visited HMS Protector herself, touring the ice breaker as an opportunity to further deepen the bonds between UK and Chile, and their navies. .

After leaving Punta Arenas on 25 August 1916, Yelcho, under Pardo’s command, with Shackleton, Endurance’s captain Frank Worsley, and Tom Crean on board, passed through the channels on the west side of Tierra del Fuego, picking up coal at Picton Island before sailing through the Drake Passage.

Five days later, on 30 August 1916, Yelcho reached Elephant Island – an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands, in the Southern Ocean.

Thick fog shrouded the island, but by late morning, it had cleared, and Shackleton’s men were safely brought aboard the Yelcho, returning to Punta Arenas to an overwhelming reception. (RN)