| 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. |
| An update from Nick Lambert, the Captain of HMS ENDURANCE |
Hello from the South Atlantic where I am typing this article whilst HMS ENDURANCE is alongside in Mare Harbour, the small naval base in the Falkland Islands. We’ve been here since returning from South Georgia on 29 December 2005, enjoying New Year celebrations Falklands’ style (it rained a great deal…) and preparing for our next work package in the Antarctic Peninsula. Now that we’ve been in the Southern Hemisphere since mid-November and with three weeks’ work in South Georgia under our belts, I thought it would be a good time to update you on our progress and future plans. As there are quite a few place names you may want to have your atlas to hand.
 For the majority of December ENDURANCE spent a busy period operating around the wildlife haven of South Georgia. This majestic, fabulously mountainous island rises dramatically from the ocean depths with an ice cap that spawns 163 glaciers. About 130 miles long and 30 odd miles wide, the island looks very much like the Swiss Alps flooded by the sea, with a severely rugged coastline punctuated by scores of fiords, inlets and harbours. Its uniquely unspoilt environment is home to numerous populations of seabirds including king penguins, 6 species of albatross, many varieties of petrel, skuas, ducks, gentoo penguins, macaroni penguins; in addition to huge numbers of seals, notably elephant and fur seals.
 The South Georgia Government is responsible for managing the environment to protect these species, many of which are of global significance. HMS ENDURANCE contributes to this effort in several ways. This year we inserted 3 specialist research teams from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), studying subjects as diverse as geology, lake sedimentology (taking up to 6 metre deep core samples of stratified silts which can then be chronologically analysed to produce a historic record of climate change); and the biology and migration patterns of fur seals.
The Survey Department conducted extensive hydrographic work around South Georgia including motor boat surveys along the shorelines of Cumberland Bay East, and ship surveys using the recently fitted Multi Beam system in Cumberland Bays East and West, Royal Bay, Husvik, Stromness and Leith Harbours. For the physical geographers among you this work revealed, in three dimensional colour graphics, an underwater world of classic U shaped valleys carved out by brute glacial force and features such as terminal moraines, hanging valleys and erratics.
 We are
delighted with the capabilities and performance of the Multi Beam
sonar which has enabled us to survey huge areas at a much higher
speed than in the past whilst always keeping the ship in safe water.
 Undoubtedly the hydrographic highlights were surveying in
previously uncharted areas, including a circumnavigation of the
unique habitat of Annenkov Island on the west coast and closing
amongst icebergs to within 200 metres of various calving glacier
snouts.
Once all these projects are processed by the UK Hydrographic Office the data will be incorporated into reliable maritime charts to enhance the safety of the increasing number of visiting vessels.
 Using sophisticated handheld digital cameras ENDURANCE’s Lynx helicopter crews progressed a BAS sponsored aerial survey of the various petrel breeding sites which is how we met up with Ellen MacArthur who is working with Sally Poncett to preserve the future of the Wandering Albatross. (You can follow Ellen’s project at www.teamellen.com). In common with our boats teams, the aircraft are operated in an environmentally sensitive manner so as to avoid disrupting the wildlife. Thus, while observing the rise and fall of tides, ENDURANCE’s surveyors found themselves being chased by elephant and fur seals… not the other way round!
 ENDURANCE also supported the South Georgia Heritage Trust by flying ashore a container load of construction materials for the renovation of the old manager’s villa at the abandoned whaling station in Husvik. The materials will be used later in the year by a team of Norwegian artisans to return the building to its former glory enabling its use for the carefully managed access of scientists and visitors to the island.
 We continued our important rapport with the BAS during a thoroughly enjoyable, if all too brief, stay at their base at King Edward Point (KEP) over Christmas. At the mouth of the cove at Grytviken their modern buildings are home to nine permanent members of staff and many seasonal visitors, ably led by Dr Alison Dean. BAS work in KEP includes the monitoring of the Patagonian Toothfish stock; this highly prized and valuable fish is carefully extracted to maintain a viable population. Alison also acts as the island’s magistrate and her colleagues liaise closely with visiting cruise ships. The BAS website is at: www.antarctica.ac.uk
Having completed her South Georgia projects HMS ENDURANCE collected the last of her shore parties (a team of young adventurers from the British Schools’ Expedition Society) on Boxing Day and set course for the Falklands arriving on 29 December 2005. Since then we have refuelled the ship, restored her fresh provisions and essential spares and taken some time off over New Year. On 3 January 2006 we sail for the Antarctic Peninsula, crossing the notorious Drake’s Passage and aiming to arrive by the end of the week. We plan to spend most of January working in the vicinity of Antarctic Sound and the Erebus and Terror Gulf (Erebus and Terror were the ships of the James Clark Ross expedition to Antarctica from 1839 to 1843). Here we will land several BAS field teams on James Ross and Seymour Islands and the Trinity Peninsula. Their work will include glacial geology, volcanology, studies of fossil forests and creatures from the Cretaceous period, and changes in sea level over the last 10,000 years. This will contribute to our understanding of how the earth and its environment have changed in the past; a process which is fundamental to predicting how it will behave in the future.  Simultaneously the ship has an extensive surveying task in the scantily charted Erebus and Terror Gulf, designed to improve the navigational safety of the cruise ships that visit the area. It will be very interesting to see how easy it is to operate in these waters as the ice conditions are likely to be much more difficult than in South Georgia. The surveying work is also coincident with the aspiration of David Mearns, a marine archaeologist, to locate the wreck of Otto Nordenskjold’s Antarctic, which foundered near Paulet Island in 1904. A Swedish adventurer, Otto Nordenskjold’s expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula from 1901 to 1904 sought to explore the then unknown region and to conduct scientific activities. With various parties wintering ashore and the relieving ship Antarctic becoming trapped in the ice, the expedition’s tale became one of great courage and survival in horrendous conditions; surpassed only by the exploits of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition the following decade.
In a similar manner to South Georgia, our helicopter crews will be busy loadlifting the BAS teams ashore and conducting vertical and oblique photography of the area. Our survey teams have a significant geodetic task involving co-ordinated observations of GPS satellites using very precise equipment. The resulting data can be carefully analysed to contribute to highly accurate map and chart products, by both BAS and UK Hydrographic Office. Under the auspices of the FCO, we will also inspect various tourist sites to ensure that they are being correctly visited in accordance with the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty.  Meanwhile we continue to plan our third work package for March 2006; also in the Antarctic Peninusla but further south towards the BAS base at Rothera on the eastern side of Adelaide Island. I’ll write with more details on this later on. So it’s been a pretty busy and successful time since we sailed in October last year, we’re pleased with our achievements so far and looking forward to getting into the ice properly for the first time. Above all we are delighted with the interest in the ENDURANCE Tracking Project and are keen to regularly update the site with details of our progress and activities. That’s about it for now… thank you for your support and we wish you all a very prosperous 2006.
Yours sincerely Nick Captain Nick Lambert Royal Navy Commanding Officer HMS ENDURANCE |
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