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HMS ENDURANCE HOSTS THE PRINCESS ROYAL ON HER VISIT TO ANTARCTICA
The Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship HMS Endurance is hosting HRH The Princess Royal in Antarctica.
Following the ship’s brief stand down in Rio de Janeiro over the festive period, HMS Endurance is once again back at work in the Antarctic Peninsula, continuing her important task of surveying uncharted waters. The ship also supports the British Antarctic Survey in their scientific work, which includes studying the effects of climate change.
HRH The Princess Royal
The eight-day visit of HRH The Princess Royal is an addition to this important work, and is the first time in 50 years that a British Royal has visited the British Antarctic Territory.
Her Royal Highness has visited the British Antarctic Survey’s main base at Rothera to see at first hand the world-class work of British scientists. Additionally, in her capacity as patron of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, she will be visiting some of the UK’s historical sites in the British Antarctic Territory, including the former British base at Port Lockroy, the only Historic Site in Antarctica to be operated as a living museum.
March marks the start of International Polar Year and to underline the close international collaboration that exists among the scientific communities in Antarctica, Her Royal Highness will visit a US scientific station and a Ukrainian research base.
After three more months of work in Antarctica, Endurance will commence her passage home in April via South and West Africa conducting diplomatic tasking on behalf of the FCO and the MOD. Having sailed from the UK in September 2006, she will return to her home base of Portsmouth in early June 2007, marking the end of her inaugural 9 month deployment, the longest to date.
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