I know we're talking about Antarctica, but this story reminded me of the incredible book from Hampton Sides called, "In The Kingdom of Ice" (https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ice-Terrible-Voyage-Jeannette...).

It takes in the 1880s, when the general population believed that the North Pole was an open polar sea. The book tells the story of the USS Jeannette, which tries to sail up there.

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Expedition