MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Endurance: “Excellent rapport with Argentine Navy”

British and Argentinian sailors commemorated the fallen of the 1982 South Atlantic campaign at a ceremony in Ushuaia, Argentina held on 24 January 2006.

The Royal Navy's ice patrol vessel, HMS Endurance, arrived at Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, Monday January 23 after completing her first Antarctic work period of the 2005/06 season.

The visit to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, the Argentine port from which most Antarctic cruises depart, provided the ship with opportunity to re-supply and refuel before crossing Drake's Passage once more for the next work period west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The visit to Ushuaia is the first by a RN ship since that of HMS Endurance's predecessor in January 1982, so it has naturally stimulated significant local and national interest in Argentina. Captain Nick Lambert, commanding officer of HMS Endurance, said: "The Argentine Navy has welcomed us and we have built on the excellent rapport that we previously established during our fleeting visit to the Argentine Antarctic base of Esperanza on the Trinity Peninsula earlier this month." In addition to the normal protocol of meetings and receptions, a key part of the visit for HMS Endurance was to participate in the wreath-laying ceremony with Argentinian naval personnel from a local base. Steve Parsel, the ship's Padre, remarked: "As serving sailors it is a somber privilege to pay our respects to all those who lost their lives in 1982."

After a brief visit to the beautiful Tierra del Fuego region, HMS Endurance heads back to Antarctica to continue her tasking: supporting the scientific work of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), conducting hydrographic survey work, and maintaining a British presence in the region.

This season, support for BAS includes monitoring the seal population off South Georgia and numerous geological studies.

These projects all contribute to a greater understanding of the earth and its environmental responses, collecting historical data to assist in forecasting how global warming may develop.

While Endurance is alongside in Ushuaia, an international team of polar experts is due to embark. They join the ship for the season's final Antarctic work period to audit the guidelines adopted by the IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators) for tourist sites in numerous locations around the region. (RN).