| Deployment 2003 - 2004 |
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HMS ENDURANCE is somewhat unique amongst RN ships. Despite her obvious red and white exterior and commercial origins (she was originally built as a cruise/survey vessel operating within the Arctic circle) she is classified in international maritime law as a warship. As such she conforms to the same practices and standards as other warships as recently tested during Operational Sea Training (OST). Although the ships company live in a greater degree of comfort than their counterparts on frigates, destroyers, or indeed carriers or landing platforms, they achieve the same high standards of work with a lesser degree of support and a significantly greater degree of isolation. Because of this isolation and the varying roles of the ship, the time that is spent back in the UK is at a premium, with almost every department working flat out to solve any post deployment problems at the same time as achieving annual maintenance and pre deployment preparations. Combine that with catching up with family and friends, and having a ‘normal’ family life and it’s no surprise that the last 4 months have been extremely hectic for all of HMS ENDURANCE’s ships company.
Back to sea during September, the ship underwent a successful period of Operational Sea training with FOST in the South Coast Exercise Areas. On completion the ships company were straight into deployment preparations, predeployment leave and suddenly the ship is ready to deploy to the Antarctic for the austral summer. This deployment will see 3 work periods of approximately 4 weeks each. During these periods ENDURANCE’s hydrography department will use the 2 Survey Motor Boats (SMBs) the James Caird, and the Eddie Shackleton to survey some of the poorly charted areas around South Georgia. This information will then be fed back to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, in Taunton and into their database, for eventual conversion into charts. The ship will also be going deep into the Weddell Sea to support the British Antarctic Survey Teams at Halley and Rothera supplying aviation fuel that will enable them to continue their work in the Antarctic for the next 5 years.
HMS ENDURANCE’s mission statement is ‘To patrol and survey the Antarctic and South Atlantic maintaining Sovereign Presence with Defence Diplomacy and supporting the global community of Antarctica’. Each of these aims will be achieved during her busy and varied forthcoming deployment. |
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