“By Endurance we Conquer”
Introduction
HMS Endurance is the sole Ice Patrol Vessel of the Royal Navy. She spends over half of each year in the freezing conditions of Antarctica and the South Atlantic for unique surveying and scientific work. Although HMS Endurance is a naval unit, she is unarmed and her mission is peaceful – `To patrol and survey the Antarctic and South Atlantic, maintaining Sovereign Presence with Defence Diplomacy and supporting the global community of Antarctica’.
It is a fact that HMS Endurance is unique within the Royal Navy as she has a bright red and white paint scheme rather than the warlike grey of her cousins and her purpose is to examine the world above and below her rather than to seek out enemy vessels. She is a national asset. Funded originally by the Treasury, HMS Endurance is tasked by four main stakeholders: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and, of course, the Ministry of Defence. As such, she is an excellent example of cross-government co-operation, supporting the UK’s role as a key member of the Antarctic Treaty and a leading player in the science of the polar regions.
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