| 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. |
| Visit to Montevideo, Uruguay 18-22 November |
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Uruguay is a small South American country with a population of 3 million of whom 2 million live in
the country’s capital city, Montevideo. HMS ENDURANCE stopped there for 4 days after crossing the Atlantic on her way down to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.
This first run ashore after a long passage from the UK was welcomed by all of the Ships Company. Imagine the chagrin when the morning of the 18th arrived with grey skies that quickly progressed to rain. The blameless METOC (Meteorological Officer) was immediately on the receiving end of the all blame, in the true manner of shooting the messenger! It would however take more than rain to put the damper on the first run ashore in 3 weeks, and as it turned out the rest of the visit the ships company enjoyed blue skies and sun and were able to sit in the numerous street cafes enjoying afternoon sunshine. The first day in a port visit is always a full days work, with the arrival of stores, mail (usually, although not always), and any important calls made by the captain to local naval personnel. In this case calls were made upon the Montevideo Port Prefect, the Director General of Naval Material, and, as Endurance carries out surveying amongst her other roles, the Chief of Naval Service of Oceanography, Hydrography and Meteorology. Whilst these calls and their return were ongoing a number of personnel who had postponed their fitness testing from the chilly UK before sailing to the warm of Montevideo had the joy of running their 2.4km around a 200m circuit in the drenching rain more akin to the UK than that envisaged for South America. Few personal bests there! Next time I think we’ll do them before we leave home…. After a full working day the majority of ships company stepped ashore to explore, leaving the remainder to host the traditional first night in cocktail party for 80 local dignitaries. Held in the hangar rather than on the flight deck it was well received by all invited and rounded off nicely with a striking ceremonial sunset complete with bugle leaving a lasting impression with many of the guests. Like many parts of South America Uruguay’s nightlife does not really kick off until late. Restaurants do not fill up until 2200 or 2300, and night-clubs do not open until midnight, the partying carrying on til 6 in the morning so inevitably day 2 of the visit saw some tired personnel. The ships football team were ready by mid afternoon to face their first fixture as a team. Playing against the British Schools Team they were unfortunate to lose 8-5, with goals being scored by CH Craven (2) and AEM Hollingsworth (3). OM Steen played in goal for the last time before he leaves the ship and will be missed by the team. All in all a good match and an excellent opportunity for LPT Tate to assess the talent on board and finalise the squad for the rest of the deployment. Early into the visit ENDURANCES hydrographers were invited to visit the Chief of Naval Service of Oceanography, Hydrography and Meteorology that the CO had visited on day 1 at his office in the Uruguayan Naval base. A very small part of the Uruguayan navy, the hydrography branch has one ship and one survey motor boat whose main area of operations is the Uruguayan coast with particular emphasis on the channel leading into Montevideo (Uruguay’s only port). On Thursday the 20th, a small group of discerning wine connoisseurs made a journey to the Juanico vineyard, an hour from the city for a vineyard tour and wine tasting. A quick tour round the 600 acres provided an excuse to enjoy the afternoon sun and stretch our legs. A refreshing change to see vines and woodland rather than ocean as far as the eye can see, the tour was followed by a very relaxing 2 hours of wine tasting in a beautiful old converted stone and brickwork barn. The afternoon was enjoyed by all, with some surprisingly good wines being purchased. Friday saw the ships rugby team play a local Uruguayan youth team and put in a convincing performance to win 26-12. The standard of play was high and it would seem that ENDURANCE has a strong rugby team this year. There were a few bumps, bruises, and scrapes but fortunately no major injuries. After an excellent match the team were invited into town to meet some of the opposition and their wives and girlfriends for some beers and food. All who attended enjoyed excellent Uruguayan hospitality. Also on Friday the Captain, Medical Officer, POMA Eden and LAPHOT Wareing paid a visit to the Winston Churchill Home for the elderly. A part of the British Hospital, a cooperatively run private hospital originally set up by the Brits in 1912, the Winston Churchill home is a nursing home open to those who are unable to care for themselves anymore, and currently is home to 7 elderly expatriates. They have a keen interest in the Royal Naval ships that come in and have a collection of ships crests on the wall of their sitting area. HMS Endurance traditionally takes them a Christmas cake and this visit was no exception. Some quick last minute work on the ship saw the cake ‘marzipanned’ and iced by the POMA and one of the chefs, and it was received with much appreciation. The visit was finished off on Saturday with an early coach (0500) to the Sheraton Hotel where a room and large screen was waiting with breakfast to watch the England v Australia rugby match. A tense time ensued, but England came through in the final minutes to ensure that Endurance was ready to leave Uruguay in a buoyant mood. So all in all a successful few days were had by all. As the 1st run ashore and last opportunity for night leave until March (when we will visit Argentina), the ships company made the most of every opportunity offered to them and thoroughly enjoyed Uruguayan hospitality. |
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