MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Endurance breaks ice North of James Ross Island

HMS Endurance<br>(Photo:Crown Copyright/MOD 2008).

HMS ENDURANCE breaking through the ice North of James Ross Island, the ship is currently transferring scientist to Mount Haddington where they will be carrying out ice drilling for the next 2 months.

Endurance's First Work Period in Antarctic, focusing on the South Shetland Islands, and difficult to reach James Ross Island in Erebus and Terror Gulf (Weddell Sea), will see the ship operating in dense areas of ice, in some of the most extreme weather conditions on earth. Embarked will be five separate scientific teams from the British Antarctic Survey., working on 5 independent projects, including the sampling of Ice cores from the summit of the volcano Mt Haddington. These teams will each day be flown out from the ship to different locations all over the Antarctic Peninsula and returned from their mountainous data gathering by the ships two Lynx Helicopters. A huge effort will go into establishing precise Hydrographic information. HMS ENDURANCE is the Royal Navy's Ice Patrol ship whose function is to support British interests in Antarctic waters, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition she assists the British Antarctic Survey in carrying out its scientific research programs. She is fitted with modern hydrographic surveying equipment which is put to good effect in waters which are still largely uncharted, and the data that are gathered are processed by the Hydrographic Office at Taunton and drawn into charts that are used by mariners around the world. HMS ENDURANCE displaces 2,500 tonnes, and is 91m long and has a beam of 17.9m. The red hull colour is for easy recognition in the ice, most especially from the air. Powered by twin diesel engines she has a top speed of 15 knots and long range capability. The ice breaker bow enables the ship to cut through 0.9m thick ice at 3 knots. Her bridge is fitted with some of the most sophisticated navigation and maneuvering aids in the world.