''Endurance'' (207) is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of the ''Endurance''-class landing platform dock of the

Republic of Singapore Navy The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the Naval warfare, maritime Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of ...

Development

The navy's intention to purchase the ''Endurance-''class was revealed by former Defence Minister Dr. Tony Tan during his visit to

Tuas Naval Base Tuas Naval Base (TNB) is the second naval base of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Located at the western tip of Singapore, it occupies 0.28 km2 (0.11 sq mi) of land. It was officially opened on 2 September 1994, by Goh Chok ...

on 3 August 1996. These ships were to replace the five ex-

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(USN) ''County''-class LSTs, which were acquired by

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 1970s. ST Marine was awarded the government contract to design and build the four ships – a significant milestone for the local defence and shipbuilding industries given the scale and extensiveness of the programme.

Construction and career

She was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

on 27 March 1997 and launched on 14 March 1998. She was commissioned on 18 March 2000 with the hull number 207. ''Endurance'' participated as both a compliant and non-compliant vessel for boarding teams during Exercise Sea Sabre in 2004 as part of the

Proliferation Security Initiative The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is a global effort that aims to stop trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. ...

. RSS ''Endurance'' sailed to

Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

to deliver emergency supplies and medical personnel to aid in the relief efforts after a tsunami. She was then joined by ''

Persistence Persistence or Persist may refer to: Math and computers * Image persistence, in LCD monitors * Persistence (computer science), the characteristic of data that outlives the execution of the program that created it * Persistence of a number, a ma ...

'' on 4 January 2005 and '' Endeavour'' on 16 January. RSS ''Endurance'' became the first RSN ship to circumnavigate the globe when it participated in the 6th USN International Naval Review in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, passing through both

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

and

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

Canal in 2000.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endurance (207) Endurance-class landing platform docks Ships built in Singapore 1998 ships