HMS Endurance (1967)
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HMS Endurance was a Royal Navy ice patrol vessel from 1967 to 1991. She came to public notice when she was involved in the Falklands War.
The first HMS Endurance, she was formerly the Anita Dan a Danish vessel built in 1956 by Grogerwerft for the Lauritzen Lines. She was acquired by the Royal Navy in 1967, converted by Harland & Wolff and renamed. The vessel maintained a British presence in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands during the summer months. She also supported the British Antarctic Survey. Due to her bright red hull she was nicknamed 'Red Plum'. The Royal Navy intended to decommission the vessel in 1982, following the defence review of John Nott, but the Falklands War intervened.
On March 19, 1982 while the ship was at Stanley, South Georgia was occupied by Argentinian civilians. The Endurance, commanded by Captain Nick Barker, was sent to order the Argentinians off the island. Endurance had a small Royal Marines detachment and took further Marines from Navy Party 8901, and sailed on March 21 for South Georgia. Arriving on March 25, she encountered the Argentinian transport Bahai Buen Suceso, which had landed 100 troops, and Endurance landed her marines before returning to the Falklands on March 30. She joined up with the British task force in April and landed SBS soldiers at Hound Bay on South Georgia on April 22. With the threat of a submarine, other vessels moved into deeper waters but Endurance moved into sea ice near the shore. On April 25 two Wasp ASW helicopters flying from Endurance assisted in attacks on the submarine Santa Fe, which was later abandoned by her crew. When the Argentinian forces surrendered on the 26th the Endurance remained in the vicinity of the island as a guard.
Toward the end of her life she acquired the nickname HMS Encumbrance due to reliability problems.
In 1989 she struck an iceberg and although she was repaired, a survey in 1991 declared that the hull was not sound enough for a return to Antarctica and she was finally decommissioned. She was replaced by the MV Polar Circle, later renamed Endurance.
- Weight: 3,600 tons
- Length: 93 m
- Beam: 14 m
- Draught: 5.5 m
- Propulsion: 1 Burmeister & Wain diesel
- Top speed: 14.5 knots (27 km/h)
- Crew: 119
- Armament: 2 20 mm Oerlikons
- Aircraft: 2 Wasp helicopters (2 Lynx helicopters after refit in 1987)
See HMS Endurance for the other ships of the same name.
