Ernest Shackleton's 1914-17 trip to the Antarctic was ill-fated. Disaster struck the expedition when their ship, the Endurance, was trapped in pack ice and crushed before the shore parties could land. Shackleton left most of his crew behind; his rescue mission would take five months. The ship carried 27 men, a pack of sled dogs, and a tiger-striped tomcat.

Yes, Mrs. Chippy was male. He belonged to Harry "Chippy" McNish, a ship’s carpenter. A month after the ship set sail, it was noticed that, despite her name and habit of following McNish around like a devoted wife, Mrs. Chippy was a Mr. However, by that time the name had stuck. The cat was described as "full of character" by members of the expedition. He amazed the crew with his ability to walk the ship's inch-wide rails during rough seas and climb the rigging like a sailor.

All of the ship’s human crew did survive; McNish himself was credited with being essential to the crew's survival while they waited for Shackleton's return, thanks to reinforcing the group's lifeboat.

Sadly, after the Endurance was destroyed, Shackleton, deeming that Mrs. Chippy and five of the sled dogs were too weak and would not be able to survive, had them shot.

McNish never forgave Shackleton for having his cat killed. He died, destitute, in New Zealand, in 1930, and was buried with full naval honors. In 2004 a life-size bronze statue of Mrs. Chippy was added to McNish’s grave. It serves as a tribute to both the carpenter and his beloved cat.

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