"Love, Loss, and Loyalty on the Ice"
- Category: Blog
- Author: Tusar
In 1915, a ship named Endurance, set out on an expedition to cross the Antarctic continent from one end to the other with 27 crew. The expedition was led by Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and was named the “Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition”. Unfortunately, the ship failed to complete the mission and it was trapped by hostile weather and eventually sank. However, all 27 crew members survived despite the extreme cold, long distances and insufficient supplies and they traveled hundreds of miles in search of rescue and eventually became famous for their incredible survival story. There was also a foreign Tabby cat in the ship along with the crew, named Mrs. Chippy.
Mrs. Chippy was extremely devoted to its master and had an unbelievable ability to walk on the ship’s rigging. But, Mrs. Chippy is best known for luck of narrowly escaping death. Mrs. Chippy was a Scottish, tiger-striped tabby cat. It was purchased by Scottish shipwright and carpenter “Harry Chippy McNish” (The nickname Chippy is a British colloquial term for a carpenter) from Cathcart, Scotland. Since the cat was always close to McNish and behaved like an attentive wife, it earned the name Mrs. Chippy. When McNish was selected for the expedition, Mrs. Chippy accompanied him. The cat’s duties included catching mice and maintaining a cheerful atmosphere among the crew. After a month into the voyage, it was discovered that Mrs. Chippy was actually male!
Many crew members described Mrs. Chippy as being “full of character” in their diaries. Captain Frank Worsley noted that “It could climb the rigging like a skilled sailor.” Meteorologist Leonard Hussey wrote, “Even in roughest seas, Mrs. Chippy amazed us with its ability to walk along an inch-wide rail.” Its ability to navigate the rigging wasn’t always flawless.
In 1914, Thomas Orde-Lees recorded in his diary, “Something weird happened tonight. The cat jumped out of the ship through a porthole and sank into the water. Officer on duty, Lieutenant Hudson, heard its scream and quickly turned the ship around to rescue it. It was in the water for at least ten minutes or more.”
When Endurance became trapped in the ice, the plan for the journey had to be cancelled. Shackleton’s priority then shifted to survival. He started planning a possible westward journey with his crew. Shackleton ordered that weaker animals, who would not survive the perilous journey, should be shot. Along with five sled dogs, Mrs. Chippy was also ordered to be killed. In a diary entry dated October 29, 1915, Shackleton wrote: “This afternoon, Sally’s three youngest puppies, Sue’s Sirius, and Mrs. Chippy had to be shot. In new circumstances, we cannot afford to take maintenance for the weaker.”
McNish never forgave Shackleton for killing his cat. Their relationship deteriorated so much that Shackleton refused to recommend McNish for the Polar Medal, which was later awarded to the rest of the crew. Before his death in 1930, McNish repeatedly told his friends, family, and visitors, “Shackleton killed my cat.”
After his passing, McNish was buried in a regular grave. In 1959, the New Antarctic Society collected funds to place a memento on his grave. In 2004, the same organization created a memorial to Mrs. Chippy—a bronze statue of the cat. Visitors to the grave often decorate the statue with flowers as a mark of respect.
