MOD scraps ice patrol ship HMS Endurance

The Royal Navy's former ice patrol ship HMS Endurance is to be scrapped after the Ministry of Defence decided the cost of repairing the vessel, which flooded off the coast of Chile in 2008, was too great.
The move comes as three former Type 22 frigates are set to be towed from Portsmouth Naval Base to the Leyal Ship Recycling centre in Turkey - the same scrapyard which bought the Ark Royal aircraft carrier. A fourth frigate is also to be taken to the Swansea Drydocks to be dismantled.
The first to leave is Chatham, which is departing today, followed by Campbeltown and Cumberland, with Cornwall set to sail for Wales at a later date.
Endurance, known as Red Plum, was severely damaged by flooding in the incident in South America. A total of 15 civilians had to be airlifted off the ship following the leak which was caused by a faulty valve.
The ship's role as the Navy's Antarctic patrol vessel has been taken over by HMS Protector - a former Norwegian research ship which was given a refit for its new role.
bfbs.com

Royal Navy surveys remote volcanic archipelago Tristan da Cunha

Royal Navy ice patrol ship HMS Protector has visited the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha to conduct the first systematic survey of the British Overseas Territory since the 1970s.

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the main settlement on Tristan da Cunha. It was forced to evacuate its entire population to England following a volcanic eruption in 1961.

mod.uk