Crean, Tom (1877-1938), was an Irish explorer and a petty (noncommissioned) officer in the British navy. He served on three major expeditions to the Antarctic in the early 1900’s. Crean sailed with the famous explorers Robert Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. He spent more time in the Antarctic than either of the two men and outlived both of them. Yet these accomplishments brought him little attention during his lifetime. Crean was among the last people to see Scott alive near the South Pole in 1912 during Scott’s final, ill-fated expedition. He also was a key figure on Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to Antarctica, one of history’s great stories of survival.
Thomas Crean was born on a farm near the village of Annascaul (also spelled Anascaul), County Kerry, Ireland, in 1877. Crean’s birthday is disputed. Military records, written in Crean’s hand, give his birthday as July 20. A birth certificate gives his birthday as February 25. In 1893, Crean ran away from home to escape poverty. Crean joined the Royal Navy, where he served for 27 years. He volunteered for Robert Scott’s pioneering expedition to the Antarctic (1901-1904) on the ship Discovery. Crean proved to be a dependable and respected member of the expedition, which traveled farther south than any group before it had.
Crean was among Scott’s first recruits for his disastrous voyage to the South Pole (1910-1913). In January 1912, after trekking across the ice with heavily loaded sledges to within 150 miles (240 kilometers) of the pole, Crean and other members of a support party were sent back to base camp. He was bitterly disappointed. The return journey of 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) became a desperate battle for life. The officer in charge, Lieutenant Teddy Evans, collapsed with scurvy. Crean volunteered to walk the final 35 miles (56 kilometers) alone, with few supplies and no shelter, to get help. He staggered into the base camp after 18 hours. Scott and four others who had continued on and reached the pole died on their journey back in March 1912. Months later, Crean was among a group that returned to the area to bury Scott’s frozen body.
Crean then joined Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica (1914-1916), which intended to cross the continent on foot. However, ice crushed the group’s ship, the Endurance, and the men escaped to desolate Elephant Island. Crean then accompanied Shackleton and several others in a daring open-boat journey of 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) to the island of South Georgia. They trekked across the island’s snowy mountains to find help at a whaling station to rescue their stranded comrades. As a result, the entire group survived.
Crean left the navy in 1920. He returned to Annascaul, married, and had three daughters. He opened a pub, the South Pole Inn. During Ireland’s War of Independence (1919-1921) against the United Kingdom, Crean’s former ties with the British made him vulnerable (exposed to possible attack). For this reason, he never spoke about his adventures with Scott and Shackleton. Crean died of a burst appendix on July 27, 1938, in Cork, Ireland.
