Elephant Island Elephant Island is where Ernest Shackleton and his ship, the "Endurance", ran aground in winter, 1916. Shackleton and five crew members took an open lifeboat, the "James Caird", and sailed 800 miles to South Georgia Island seeking help. The 22 other men who stayed on Elephant Island survived four months in the Antarctic winter before Shackleton was able to return with a rescue ship. Incredible, all 28 men survived.