HMS Endurance (1967)

HMS ''Endurance'' was a Royal Navy ice patrol vessel that served from 1967 to 1991.
She came to public notice when she was involved in the Falklands War of 1982. The final surrender of the war, in the South Sandwich Islands, took place aboard ''Endurance''.

Background

The ship was built and launched in 1956 by Kröger-Werft of Germany as ''Anita Dan'' for the Lauritzen Lines. In 1967 the UK government purchased the vessel and then had Harland & Wolff carry out the conversion prior to being commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS ''Endurance'', named after the sailing ship ''Endurance'' that took the explorer Ernest Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic in 1914.

Operational history

1967–1982

The new ''Endurance'' maintained a UK presence in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands during the southern summer. She also supported the British Antarctic Survey. She had a bright red hull, as is common for polar vessels to aid visibility but otherwise uncommon for the Royal Navy, so her crew nicknamed her ''The Red Plum''. In February 1972 when the cruise ship '' Lindblad Explorer'' ran aground, ''Endurance'' was in the vicinity under Captain Rodney Bowden and took part in the rescue.

''Endurance'' was equipped with a signals listening suite on top of the hangar, and was staffed with Spanish linguists to monitor radio communications and collect signals intelligence off South America. The data was processed by GCHQ, and in the 1970s underlay much of GCHQ's South America analysis. ''Endurances captain later stated "It could be argued that the main armament of the ship was the listening suite."

The Ministry of Defence's 1981 Defence White Paper proposed naval cuts including decommissioning ''Endurance'', which was scheduled for 15 April 1982.

Falklands War

''Endurance''s withdrawal from Antarctic patrol without replacement was perceived in Britain as having encouraged the Argentine invasion. The subsequent Franks Report acknowledged that it "may have served to cast doubt on British commitment to the Islands and their defence".

On 19 March 1982, while ''Endurance'' was at Stanley, British authorities there received news that an Argentine navy ship had landed Argentine civilians on South Georgia who had raised the Argentine flag. The Argentine group (containing Argentine Marines in mufti) posing as scrap-metal merchants, occupied the abandoned whaling station at Leith Harbour on South Georgia. ''Endurance'', commanded by Captain Nick Barker, was sent to order the Argentines off the island.Britain Small Wars
Freedman, Lawrence and Gamba, Virginia, ''Señales de Guerra''. Javier Vergara Editor, 1992. (in Spanish), page 81ss. ''Endurance'' had a small Royal Marines detachment and took further Marines from Naval Party 8901 (NP 8901), and sailed on 21 March for South Georgia.

Arriving on 25 March 1982 ''Endurance'' encountered the Argentine transport , whose forty Argentine troops had come ashore while the scrapping operation took place. ''Endurance'' landed her marines, then returned to the Falklands on 30 March. In April the UK command ordered ''Endurance'' to join the UK Task Force, which in April landed SBS soldiers at Hound Bay on South Georgia on 22 April.

Task Force vessels moved into deeper waters as a precaution against Argentine submarines, but ''Endurance'' moved into sea ice near the shore.

''Endurance'' was involved in combat action on 25 April 1982 when her two Wasp ASW helicopters took part in attacks on the submarine , which was later abandoned by her crew. When Argentine forces surrendered the next day, ''Endurance'' remained near the island to show the UK flag, maintain a naval presence, and guard the waters.

''Endurance'' also took part in the rescue of wildlife film-makers Cindy Buxton and Annie Price, who were caught up in the war while working on South Georgia.

After the Argentine surrender of the Falkland Islands, ''Endurance'', , and the tug ''Salvageman'' sailed to the South Sandwich Islands, where Argentina had established a base in South Thule since 1976. ''Endurance'' was carrying a Wessex helicopter for the first time, in addition to her two Wasps. The ten Argentine military personnel surrendered after they saw HMS ''Yarmouth's'' firing display and when they realised recce marines from ''Endurance'' and 42 Commando Royal Marines had landed. The surrender was signed in the wardroom of ''Endurance''.

1983–1991

Toward the end of her life the ship was nicknamed HMS ''Encumbrance'' due to reliability problems.

In 1989 she struck an iceberg, and, although she was repaired, a survey in 1991 found that her hull was not sound enough for a return to Antarctica, so she was finally decommissioned. She was replaced by , later renamed .

See also

* Endurance Reef

References

External links

MaritimeQuest photo gallery: HMS ''Endurance''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endurance
1956 ships
Falklands War in South Georgia
Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom
Icebreakers of the United Kingdom
Patrol vessels of the United Kingdom
Ships built in Germany
Survey vessels of the Royal Navy