| Ship's Diary |
| During her time at sea, HMS Endurance will be sending back regular diaries to keep us all up to date with what is happening on this deployment. Use the links below to read extracts from the diary. |
| Back Home Again |
| HMS Endurance returned to Portsmouth after a long 8 months away at the beginning of June 2003. This marked the end of Captain Moncreiffs time as her Commanding Officer. He was superceeded by Captain Tom Karsten shortly after her arrival back into Portsmouth. After long awaited ‘Easter’ leave the ship entered a busy annual maintenance period (AMP). Over the 7 week period the engineering department and a team from Fleet Support Limited (FSL) ensured that the ships maintenance package was carried out to include a period in dry dock so that particular attention could be paid to the hull and shafts.
The Flight disembarked to Yeovilton on return to the UK, and whilst the ship was undergoing it’s AMP, the two lynx helicopters, 434 and 435 were also undergoing essential maintenance. That completed, the next challenge faced was a Flight Performance Assessment. They performed well, with a very satisfactory (VSAT) being awarded to the team. This was followed in the last week of July by a Naval Standards Flight assessment. This was completed as successfully, with all aircrew obtaining a VSAT, and both flight observers obtaining recommendations for instructor. August saw the re-embarkation of Flight to Endurance, and the installation of new Zeiss vertical photography cameras in the aircraft. Everything completed on time, and the ships company having had a much deserved break to catch up with family and friends, Endurance was ready to sail to Plymouth for her shakedown and Deployment Operational Training (DOST), beginning with Staff Sea Check on Friday 5 September. Operational Sea TrainingAll ships in the RN regularly undergo operational sea training which is designed to make sure that the ships company are up to speed on anything and everything that they might face in the coming deployment. It is also a material check of the various departments on board, leading to an overall assessment of the ship. Obviously Endurance has a vastly different role to that of a frigate or destroyer and as such the OST package is tailored to her role as a survey vessel, rather than a warship. The first week of the 2 week training package will be spent alongside in Devonport, and the second at sea. Everyone on board will be put through their paces with every imaginable scenario being played out under the expert eyes of the FOST staff.After the completion of OST, Endurance will return to Portsmouth for a further period alongside during which the ships company should be able to take pre deployment Christmas leave, and make any final preparations before we deploy for the Antarctic on the 27 October. |
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