The morning of the 16th December sees the departure of many of the civilians - including the BAS scientists and the Ice Patrol film crew. They are all due to be flown by helicopter to the Patagonian town of Punta Arenas but the seas are too rough for the helicopter to take off safely. The decision is made for Endurance to tuck into the relative shelter of the Magellan Straits. Later that day engineer Jack Russell is doing some routine maintenance in the engine room when one of the sea valves suddenly fails. The plate covering the hatch he is working on is thrown up by the pressure of water and hits him on the head knocking him unconscious. With seawater rushing into the engine room the engineers frantically try to turn off the valve but to no avail. Within 30 minutes the engine room is lost; hold on tightly as it's all hands on deck to save the Endurance!
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