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Current Location
Atlantic, Caribbean & USA
09:14 GMT - 19 June 2013
Atlantic, Caribbean & USA
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HMS Endurance
HMS Endurance started life as the the Norwegian passenger/research vessel MV Polar Circle, but in November 1991 she was chartered as HMS Polar Circle, and a year later was bought outright as the new HMS Endurance. Endurance’s strengthened hull – painted red to aid visibility against the ice, giving her the soubriquet ‘the Red Plum’ – allows her to smash her way through a metre of ice at 3 knots.
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HMS Endurance
HMS Endurance, the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship, returned to Portsmouth on the 10th April 2009. HMS Endurance returns following a flooding incident in her engine room in December 2008. HMS Endurance's Commanding Officer, Captain Gavin Pritchard, notes, "The Navy intend to repair Endurance and return her to full operational status as early as safely possible"
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HMS Endurance
HMS ENDURANCE carries out survey operations in King Haakon Bay, South Georgia on 5th December 2006. The ship has conducted operations around South Shetland Islands and west of the Antarctic Peninsular in the Gerlache Strait. During this period, the ship was heavily involved in surveying operations and supporting the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES). Survey tasks included Admiralty Bay, Maxwell Bay, Deception Island an active volcano, Hughes Bay and many more, and pivotal to this work is the state of the art multi-beam echo sounder generating accurate three dimensional pictures of the seabed which is converted into modern charts. Key to all the activity are the two Lynx helicopters of 212 Flight, the workhorses providing air lift capability that enables BAS, BSES and ship's Geodetic and Magnetic teams to access areas which would otherwise be impossible to reach. All told the flight flew nearly 79 hrs during Work Period 1.We have just started work period two and for this we will be operating in and around South Georgia.
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HMS Endurance
HMS ENDURANCE carries out survey operations in King Haakon Bay, South Georgia on 5th December 2006. The ship has conducted operations around South Shetland Islands and west of the Antarctic Peninsular in the Gerlache Strait. During this period, the ship was heavily involved in surveying operations and supporting the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES). Survey tasks included Admiralty Bay, Maxwell Bay, Deception Island an active volcano, Hughes Bay and many more, and pivotal to this work is the state of the art multi-beam echo sounder generating accurate three dimensional pictures of the seabed which is converted into modern charts. Key to all the activity are the two Lynx helicopters of 212 Flight, the workhorses providing air lift capability that enables BAS, BSES and ship's Geodetic and Magnetic teams to access areas which would otherwise be impossible to reach. All told the flight flew nearly 79 hrs during Work Period 1.We have just started work period two and for this we will be operating in and around South Georgia.
She regularly sailed south from Portsmouth in the autumn to carry out hydrographic work and support the British Antarctic Survey during the austral summer, while also providing a presence in the South Atlantic and Falklands.
Her near-foundering off Chile, in December 2008, when seawater flooded the engine room, left Endurance without power or propulsion, but her sailors saved the ship and a Chilean tug towed her to safety.
She is now in her home port of Portsmouth, awaiting a decision on her future.
ABOUT THE UNIT
KEY STATISTICS
- Pennant
A171
- Displacement
6500tonnes
- Complement
112personnel
- Length
91Metres
- Beam
17.9metres
- Draught
8.5metres
- Top Speed
15knots
- Range (Nautical)
6500Miles
- Commissioned date
21/11/91
TAKE A LOOK
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HMS Endurance
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HMS Endurance
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HMS Endurance
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HMS ENDURANCE carries out survey operations in King Haakon Bay, South Georgia on 5th December 2006. The ship has conducted operations around South Shetland Islands and west of the Antarctic Peninsular in the Gerlache Strait. During this period, the ship was heavily involved in surveying operations and supporting the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES). Survey tasks included Admiralty Bay, Maxwell Bay, Deception Island an active volcano, Hughes Bay and many more, and pivotal to this work is the state of the art multi-beam echo sounder generating accurate three dimensional pictures of the seabed which is converted into modern charts. Key to all the activity are the two Lynx helicopters of 212 Flight, the workhorses providing air lift capability that enables BAS, BSES and ship's Geodetic and Magnetic teams to access areas which would otherwise be impossible to reach. All told the flight flew nearly 79 hrs during Work Period 1.We have just started work period two and for this we will be operating in and around South Georgia.
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HMS Endurance
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HMS ENDURANCE carries out survey operations in King Haakon Bay, South Georgia on 5th December 2006. The ship has conducted operations around South Shetland Islands and west of the Antarctic Peninsular in the Gerlache Strait. During this period, the ship was heavily involved in surveying operations and supporting the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES). Survey tasks included Admiralty Bay, Maxwell Bay, Deception Island an active volcano, Hughes Bay and many more, and pivotal to this work is the state of the art multi-beam echo sounder generating accurate three dimensional pictures of the seabed which is converted into modern charts. Key to all the activity are the two Lynx helicopters of 212 Flight, the workhorses providing air lift capability that enables BAS, BSES and ship's Geodetic and Magnetic teams to access areas which would otherwise be impossible to reach. All told the flight flew nearly 79 hrs during Work Period 1.We have just started work period two and for this we will be operating in and around South Georgia.
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HMS Endurance
![]()
HMS Endurance, the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship, returned to Portsmouth on the 10th April 2009. HMS Endurance returns following a flooding incident in her engine room in December 2008. HMS Endurance's Commanding Officer, Captain Gavin Pritchard, notes, "The Navy intend to repair Endurance and return her to full operational status as early as safely possible"
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HMS Endurance
![]()
HMS Endurance, the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship, returned to Portsmouth on the 10th April 2009. HMS Endurance returns following a flooding incident in her engine room in December 2008. HMS Endurance's Commanding Officer, Captain Gavin Pritchard, notes, "The Navy intend to repair Endurance and return her to full operational status as early as safely possible"
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HMS Endurance
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HMS Endurance
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Survey Ships
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HMS Endurance
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HMS Endurance
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