MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Endurance calls in Buenos Aires

The Royal Navy's Ice Patrol vessel HMS Endurance under Captain Nick Lambert is scheduled to arrive today, Thursday to Buenos Aires, in a goodwill call before heading south for the 2006/07 Antarctic season, reports the Argentine press.

This is the third time this year that HMS Endurance visits Argentina. Last March she went into Argentina's Navy main base Puerto Belgrano, for repairs to her main rudder but had to remain more than expected because of a labor conflict involving civil personnel from the Navy including dry dock workers. Blocked from leaving the port until the conflict was over, HMS Endurance had to cut short her agenda of activities.

In spite of the chilly relations between Argentina and the United Kingdom because of the Falkland Islands dispute, Commander Lambert's agenda in Buenos Aires according to the Argentine press includes contacts with Argentine naval authorities, plus an official reception on board to commemorate the 201 Trafalgar battle anniversary.

Another chapter is sports diplomacy with HMS Endurance football and rugby teams scheduled to play against their counterparts from the Argentine icebreaker "Irizar".

HMS Endurance gained much respect in Argentina when last January while visiting Ushuaia a party from the RN Ice Patrol participated in a wreath-laying ceremony with Argentine naval personnel from the local base to the memory of those killed in the 1982 South Atlantic conflict. Among those representing the ship were veterans from the campaign as well as local Malvinas war veterans.

HMS Endurance mission is "to patrol and survey the Antarctic and South Atlantic, maintaining Sovereign Presence with Defence Diplomacy and supporting the global community of Antarctica".

This involves close links with the Foreign Office, United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and the British Antarctic Survey. She deploys annually to the Antarctic, her operating area for 7 months of the year.

Her base port is Portsmouth, which is also the ship's affiliated town. The Ship's motto is "Fortitudine Vincimus", 'By Endurance We Conquer' The motto originates from that of the great Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton who made history in his ship, 'Endurance' in his expedition south in 1914-15.

HMS Endurance left Portsmouth heading south last September 25th