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A GUIDED TOUR OF HMS 'ENDURANCE' IN PORTSMOUTH

SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES PAY A VISIT TO THE CELEBRATED ANTARCTIC RESEARCH SHIP

HMS Endurance surveying in the Erebus and Terror Gulf, North Eastern Antarctic Peninsula (photo: Kelly Whybrow)
In the autumn of 2007 several members of the James Caird Society committee were present to represent the Society at an open day aboard HMS 'Endurance'. The President, Hon. Alexandra Shackleton, was welcomed on board ship as guest of honour by Captain R.K. Tarrant the following month.

The group arrives at the quayside: Pippa Hare, John Bardell and John McGregorThe group gathers in the mess
A small and interested party led by Major-Gen. Patrick Fagan CB MBE, the Society's former Chairman, was met at the harbour gates on Friday 28 September 2007 and welcomed aboard the ship by members of the crew, and subsequently by the impressive 'Captain Bob' in person. His revealing and succinct summary of the ship's role and tasks was a main highlight of the day.

Captain Bob Tarrant, the urbane ship's captain
Others taking part in the visit were Mr. John Bardell (Dulwich College), JCS joint Vice-President, the Society's Hon. Secretary Ms. Pippa Hare, the Hon. Treasurer, Commander John McGregor OBE; and also the JCS website editor, Mr. Roderic Dunnett.

A panorama of the bridge of Endurance, so crucial for manoeuvring in highly perilous conditionsGeneral Patrick Fagan and an officer take stock Commander John McGregor sizes up the controls on the bridge
The day was peppered with refreshments and enlivened by a good lunch; but also offered a chance to see members of the crew in action doing fire-fighting drill and dramatic air-sea rescue operations, and to have a very full tour of the ship, named after Shackleton's Endurance, which seemed in pleasingly good nick and in very good hands.

Visit the HMS Endurance website, where there vis a huge amount of information about Sir Ernest Shackleton and his Endurance crew
Upon refitting at Portsmouth the modern Endurance duly sailed for Southern waters. Captain Bob's Christmas message takes up the story:

Captain Bob enjoys the Porstmouth air-sea rescue manouvres with some of the visitors The Helicopter manoeuvres get under way
Endurance helicopter 3The rescue is achieved successfully with a helicopter winch rescue operation
'It has been a long old trek to get us to this Christmas, having gone through a major refit in Portsmouth, Operational sea training in Plymouth and now an 8,000 mile journey to get to the Falklands.

'However, we have done it with flying colours and are very glad to be here.
The ship is ready and raring to get to work in Antarctica early in the New Year. We have many exciting and challenging days ahead of us. We look forward to sharing them with you all and hope that you will be able to get a real sense of what it is like in the most amazing place in the world!

'I really want to thank our friends, families and all those around the world who follow out antics and travels on the Visit and Learn website. It is hugely important to us to know we have your support: your messages really do cheer us up on a gloomy day.'

The Endurance returns to her duties off the Antarctic Peninsula (photo Kelly Whybrow)

 

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