View source for HMS Endurance (A171)

{{Short description|Icebreaker that served as the Royal Navy ice patrol ship}}
{{Other ships|HMS Endurance}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:04122956 - HMS Endurance in 2007 02.jpg|300px|An overhead view of HMS Endurance coloured bright red. About 100 metres from her are icebergs, coloured white. The sea is calm, and a deep blue.]]
|Ship caption=HMS ''Endurance'' off the [[Antarctic Peninsula]], in 2007.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=*1990: MV ''Polar Circle''
*1991: HMS ''Polar Circle''
*1992: HMS ''Endurance''
|Ship operator=[[Royal Navy]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Ulstein Group|Ulstein Hatlo]]
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed= 1990
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=21 November 1991
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=2008
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=[[Portsmouth]]
|Ship identification=*[[Pennant number]]: A171
*{{IMO Number|8901561}}
|Ship motto=*''Fortitudine Vincimus''
*(Latin: "By Endurance We Conquer")
|Ship nickname=The Red Plum (from the colour of her hull).
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Scrapped 
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Icebreaker]]
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement={{convert|6100|t|LT|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship length= {{convert|91|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|17.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught= {{convert|8.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship ice class=1A1{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}
|Ship propulsion= 2 × [[Rolls-Royce marine diesel engines|Bergen]] BRG 8 Diesels, {{convert|8160|hp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|14|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|24600|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship endurance=
|Ship boats= [[James Caird (boat)|''James Caird'']], ''Nimrod'', ''Eddie Shackleton'' and ''Dudley Docker''
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=126
|Ship crew=Royal Navy, civilian researchers
|Ship troops= Royal Marines
|Ship sensors=Type R84 and M34 surface search radar, Type 1006 navigation radar
|Ship EW=Classified
|Ship armament=*2 × 7.62mm Mk.44 [[Minigun]]s
*6 × [[FN MAG|7.62mm L7 GPMGs]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft= 2 × Ice-modified [[Westland Lynx|Lynx HAS 3]] helicopters
|Ship aircraft facilities= Full aircraft facilities and double hangar
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMS ''Endurance''''' was an [[icebreaker]] that served as the [[Royal Navy]] ice patrol ship between 1991 and 2008. Built in [[Norway]] as MV ''Polar Circle'', she was chartered by the Royal Navy in 1991 as HMS ''Polar Circle'', before being purchased outright and renamed HMS ''Endurance'' in 1992 as a replacement for the previous [[HMS Endurance (1967)|HMS ''Endurance'']] whose hull had been weakened by striking an iceberg.

''Endurance'' was a class 1 [[icebreaker]]. Her two Bergen BRG8 diesel engines produced over 8000 [[shaft horsepower]] enabling her to travel through ice up to {{convert|1|m|0}} thick at {{convert|3|kn|km/h}}.<ref name="global">{{cite web| url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/hms-endurance-3.htm| title=HMS Endurance 3 (Ex- Polar Circle) Ice Patrol Ship| accessdate=6 June 2011| publisher=GlobalSecurity.org}}</ref> Her propulsion system used a computer-controlled [[Variable-pitch propeller (marine)|variable-pitch propeller]] and stern and [[bow thruster]]s. She carried two ice-modified [[Westland Lynx|Lynx helicopter]]s which were instrumental in the making of the BBC Documentary Series [[Planet Earth (2006 TV series)|''Planet Earth'']] in 2006.

The ship was laid up in [[Portsmouth]] from 2009 to 2016, following serious damage caused by flooding following an error during routine maintenance on a sea suction strainer. In October 2013 it was reported that she would be scrapped;<ref name=BBC_scrapped/> in July 2015 the vessel was offered for sale for further use or recycling and left Portsmouth under tow to the Leyal ship recycling facility in Turkey on 1 June 2016.<ref name="Ministry of Defence">{{cite web| url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445282/EnduranceAdvert_2.pdf| title=Advance Notice for the Sale of Former HMS Endurance| publisher=Ministry of Defence| date=14 July 2015| accessdate=14 July 2015}}</ref>

==Career==
MV ''Polar Circle'' was built in [[Norway]] in 1990 by [[Ulstein Group|Ulstein Hatlo]] for [[GC Rieber Shipping|Rieber Shipping]]. The Royal Navy chartered her for eight months as HMS ''Polar Circle'' from 21 November 1991. She was bought outright and renamed HMS ''Endurance'' on 9 October 1992.

''Endurance'' provided a sovereign presence in polar waters, performing [[hydrographic survey]]s and supporting the [[British Antarctic Survey]] in [[Antarctica]]. Her usual deployment saw her in the [[Southern Ocean]] and returning to the UK through tropical waters each year. Later, a longer, 18-month deployment was designed to maximise her time available for [[British Antarctic Survey|BAS]] usage.

In 1997, ''Endurance'' made the first visit to [[Argentina]] by a Royal Naval vessel since the [[Falklands War]], calling at the capital, [[Buenos Aires]], ''en route'' to her Antarctic deployment. That she was seen as a scientific and research vessel rather than a warship facilitated the visit and helped to normalise relations between [[Argentina]] and the United Kingdom.  She visited the Argentinian port of [[Mar del Plata]] in 1998 and returned to [[Buenos Aires]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.navynews.co.uk/articles/2002/0204/0002040402.asp| title=Endurance calls in at Buenos Aires| publisher=Navy News| accessdate=25 September 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111022138/http://www.navynews.co.uk/articles/2002/0204/0002040402.asp |archivedate=11 January 2006}}</ref>

[[Image:Elizabeth II v pd.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Queen Elizabeth II with Admiral [[Alan West, Baron West of Spithead|Sir Alan West]] (as he then was) on board ''Endurance'' for the Fleet Review]]

In 2005, ''Endurance'' was chosen to carry [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|the Duke of Edinburgh]] at the [[International Fleet Review 2005|International Fleet Review]] as part of the [[Trafalgar 200]] celebrations.

In July 2007, the United Kingdom offered ''Endurance'' to supply [[Argentina]]'s Antarctic bases after their {{ship|ARA|Almirante Irizar||6}} icebreaker suffered extensive damage in a fire.<ref>{{cite news| work=Mercopress| date=26 April 2007| url=http://www.falklands.com/vernoticia.do?id=10342&formato=HTML| title=British support to replace Argentina's stricken "Irizar"| accessdate=12 July 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://buscador.lanacion.com.ar/Nota.asp?nota_id=924403&high=garr%E9| work=[[La Nación]] newspaper| title=Reparar el rompehielos costará US$113 millones| language=Spanish| date=10 July 2007| access-date=12 July 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224113640/http://buscador.lanacion.com.ar/Nota.asp?nota_id=924403&high=garr| archive-date=24 February 2018| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Although she enjoyed a varied, purposeful career as the UK's sole ice patrol vessel, ''Endurance''{{'}}s later years were problematic and ended in ignominy. After her 2004 docking period in Falmouth, the ship suffered a minor accident which resulted in her listing badly when the drydock she was situated in flooded up. The months after the refit were troublesome and the ship suffered numerous debilitating machinery failures. This was to become something of a theme over the next four years as the ship's crew struggled to keep her serviceable, set against more demanding challenges.

===Docking in Puerto Belgrano 2006===
During survey work in Antarctica in January 2006, the ship's engineering staff discovered that her rudder was apparently loose on the stock. Her work period was cut short and she returned to [[Mare Harbour]] in the [[Falkland Islands]] for further inspections. [[Det Norske Veritas]], the ship's assurance certification company, instructed that the ship should dock at the nearest available port – the nearest large enough being [[Puerto Belgrano]], Argentina's largest naval base, where ''Endurance'' docked in mid-March 2006.

Without hotel services on board, the ship's company moved to shore-side accommodation in the city of [[Bahía Blanca]], some twenty kilometres west of Puerto Belgrano. The rudder was removed for repairs, and once it was on the floor of the [[drydock]], a dockers' strike followed.<ref>{{cite news| work=[[The Scotsman]]| url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=76&id=434572006| date=20 March 2006| title=Argentine dock workers 'capture' Royal Navy ship| accessdate=7 June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ara.mil.ar/noticia01.asp?IdNoticia=6 |title=Argentine Navy site |language=Spanish |access-date=7 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609150229/http://www.ara.mil.ar/noticia01.asp?IdNoticia=6 |archive-date=9 June 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> The ship remained there for nearly three weeks. Picket lines formed at the gates of the naval base, preventing the ship's company from relieving the stranded duty watch on board.

When the strike broke, the rudder was replaced and welded into position and the ship left Puerto Belgrano in early April 2006. She returned to Portsmouth via Lisbon and to drydock again for further engineering work on the rudder and stock.

===2008 near loss===
In December 2008, while on an 18-month deployment, ''Endurance'' suffered extensive flooding to her machinery spaces and lower accommodation decks resulting in the near loss of the ship.<ref name=inquiry-report>{{cite web |url=http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B53F6F66-AD2C-40B6-A460-456C96ECCC8D/0/service_inquiry_flooding_hms_endurance.pdf| title=Service Inquiry into the flooding of HMS Endurance 16 December 2008| publisher=Ministry of Defence| date=March 2010| accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> A serious engine room flood left her without power or propulsion,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.14762| title=HMS Endurance > News| publisher=Royal Navy| date=17 December 2008| accessdate=19 December 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and she was towed to [[Punta Arenas, Chile|Punta Arenas]] by a Chilean tug. After an extensive survey was completed, the estimates to refit the ship were put at around £30m.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Two-ships-to-go-and.5911360.jp| title=Two ships to go and Endurance future in doubt| date=14 August 2009| author=Matt Jackson| work=Portsmouth News}}</ref> On 8 April 2009 ''Endurance'' arrived off [[Portsmouth]], on the [[semi-submersible]] transporter ship {{MV|Target}}.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7989166.stm| title=Damaged Endurance set for repairs| publisher=[[BBC News]]| date=8 April 2009| access-date=8 April 2009}}</ref>

The Royal Navy inquiry found that the flood happened while a sea-water strainer was being cleaned, in an attempt to improve the production of fresh water. The air lines controlling a hull valve were incorrectly reconnected, resulting in the valve opening and an inability to close it. The pipe installation fell below generally accepted standards, which made reconnection of the air lines ambiguous.<ref name=inquiry-report />

The inquiry also found that, due to manpower constraints, the ship did not have a system maintainer and that clarity of engineering command had been lost, with no-one clearly in charge of risk-management. It was fortunate that, without propulsion, ''Endurance'' had drifted over an area shallow enough for anchors to be let go and to hold the ship in position, otherwise, "there was a very real possibility that she would have been lost either by running ashore or by succumbing to the flood." The inquiry judged that the ship's company responded well to control damage in challenging conditions.<ref name=inquiry-report /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8574629.stm| title=HMS ''Endurance'' flood a 'near loss' incident, report says| publisher=[[BBC News]]| date=18 March 2010| access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref>

===''Ice Patrol'' (TV series)===
In 2009, [[National Geographic Channel]] ran a four-episode documentary series on ''Endurance''. [[Five (TV channel)|Five]] ran the same series the following year under the name ''Ice Patrol'', with the final episode showing what happened the day the ship almost sank.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://demand.five.tv/Series.aspx?seriesBaseName=IcePatrol| title=Ice Patrol on Channel 5| publisher=[[Five (TV channel)|Five]]| date=30 April 2010| access-date=2 May 2010| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506200956/http://demand.five.tv/Series.aspx?seriesBaseName=IcePatrol| archive-date=6 May 2010| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Replacement===

On 9 September 2010, speculation in the press suggested it was likely that ''Endurance'' would be scrapped<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/defence/The-Red-Plum-is-still.5914794.jp| title=The Red Plum is still facing exit| date=16 December 2009| author=Matt Jackson| work=The News (Portsmouth)| accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> and replaced with another icebreaker from Norway.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/09/09/navy-scrap-ice-breaker-hms-endurance-115875-22547884/| title=Navy scrap ice breaker HMS Endurance| author=Euan Stretch| date=9 September 2010| work=[[Daily Mirror]]| accessdate=25 September 2010}}</ref>

On 22 March 2011, it was announced that the Royal Navy intended to hire MV ''Polarbjørn'', to be renamed {{HMS|Protector|A173|6}}, for three years whilst a final decision on whether to repair or scrap ''Endurance'' is made.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.navynews.co.uk/news/1122-new-antarctic-patrol-ship-announced.aspx| title=New Antarctic patrol ship announced| author=Navy News| date=22 March 2011| accessdate=27 March 2011}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> {{HMS|Protector|A173|6}} was purchased in September 2013.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.4-traders.com/GC-RIEBER-SHIPPING-ASA-1413261/news/GC-Rieber-Shipping-ASA--GC-Rieber-Shipping-sells-the-ice-breaker-HMS-Protector-17299843/| title=GC Rieber Shipping sells the ice-breaker "HMS Protector"| publisher=4-traders.com| date=26 September 2013| accessdate=27 September 2013}}</ref>

It was announced on 7 October 2013 that ''Endurance'' would be sold for scrap, as it was not 'economically viable' to repair the damage sustained in 2008.<ref name=BBC_scrapped>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-24436594| title=HMS Endurance: Former ice patrol ship to be scrapped| publisher=[[BBC News]]| date=7 October 2013| accessdate=8 October 2013}}</ref> In July 2015 the Ministry of Defence gave advanced notice of sale of the vessel for further use or recycling, noting that "parties interested in acquiring the vessel for future use should note it will require considerable investment".<ref name="Ministry of Defence"/> The vessel left Portsmouth under tow to the breakers' yard in Turkey on 1 June 2016.

==Link to Sir Ernest Shackleton==
''Endurance'' was named after [[Endurance (1912 ship)|the ship]] which [[Sir Ernest Shackleton]] used in his [[Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition|Antarctic expedition of 1914–1917]]. The names of ''Endurance''{{'}}s boats and landing craft continued the Shackleton connection: [[James Caird (boat)|''James Caird'']] and ''Dudley Docker'' were named after boats carried by Shackleton's ''Endurance'', [[Nimrod (1867 ship)|''Nimrod'']] was named after the ship which Shackleton used on his [[Nimrod Expedition|Antarctic expedition of 1907–1909]], and [[Edward Shackleton|''Eddie Shackleton'']] was named after the explorer's son. The motto of ''Endurance'', ''"fortitudine vincimus"'' ("by endurance, we conquer"), was also the Shackleton family motto.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/surface-fleet/antarctic-patrol-ship/hms-endurance/index.htm| title=HMS Endurance (archived)| access-date=6 June 2011| publisher=Royal Navy| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523055412/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/surface-fleet/antarctic-patrol-ship/hms-endurance/index.htm| archive-date=23 May 2011| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

{{Commons category|HMS Endurance (ship, 1990)}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aux_vessels/endurance_a171_1990_page_1.htm MaritimeQuest photo gallery: HMS ''Endurance'']
* http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/friends/events/endurance/letter3/

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endurance}}
[[Category:Icebreakers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Survey vessels of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Patrol vessels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1990 ships]]
[[Category:British Antarctic Survey]]
[[Category:Ships built in Ulstein Municipality]]