''Laura Bassi'' (formerly ''Polar Queen'' and RRS ''Ernest Shackleton'') is an icebreaking research vessel operated by the Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, (in Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS). Between 1999 and 2019, she was the

British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of list of global issues, global issues, and to provide an active prese ...

(BAS) logistics ship, primarily used for the resupply of scientific stations in the

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

. ''Laura Bassi'' is ice strengthened with a double hull construction, certified Category A PC5 according to the Polar Code. She is capable of a wide range of logistic tasks, as well as having a scientific capability. Nave Laura Bassi

History

Launched in July 1995 as MV ''Polar Queen'' for

GC Rieber Shipping GC Rieber Shipping () is a Norway, Norwegian shipping company that operates offshore subsea support vessels, marine seismic vessels and polar logistics and research expeditions. Based in Bergen, Norway it is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. A ma ...

, she was operated in the Antarctic by other national programmes. The BAS acquired her on a long-term

bareboat charter A bareboat charter, or demise charter, is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat for which no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement. Instead, the renter of the vessel from the owner is responsible for ...

in August 1999 to replace . She was renamed RRS ''Ernest Shackleton'' in 2000, after the

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

polar explorer

Sir Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarc ...

, but was known to users as "The Shack".

RRS ''Ernest Shackleton''

Between 1999 and 2019, RRS ''Ernest Shackleton'' was the main logistic ship for the BAS. She was used to resupply the survey's Antarctic research stations and also had a research capability. "Tula", a cargo tender stored on deck, allowed transfer ashore of stores and equipment when the ship could not berth alongside. During the northern summer, she was commercially chartered, often working in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. On charter to Crystal Cruise Line, she escorted its 68,000 ton liner ''

Crystal Serenity ''Crystal Serenity'' is a cruise ship owned by Crystal Cruises. ''Crystal Serenity'' was built in 2003 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire.

'' through Canada's

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

in late August/September 2016 and 2017. After 20 years of polar duties for BAS, ''Ernest Shackleton'' was returned to her owners on 30 April 2019.

RV ''Laura Bassi''

OGS
Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale
acquired the ship on 9 May 2019. They renamed her RV ''

Laura Bassi Laura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti (29 October 1711 – 20 February 1778) was an Italian physicist and academic. Recognized and depicted as "Minerva" (goddess of wisdom), she was the first woman to have a doctorate in science, and List of women ...

'', in honour of the first woman to earn a professorship in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

at a university and the first woman in the world to be appointed a university chair in a scientific field of studies. In the austral summer 2019/2020, she carried out the first Antarctic mission under the Italian flag, completing two rotations between

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Zucchelli Station Zucchelli Station is an Italian seasonal research station in Antarctica, located at Terra Nova Bay on a granitic headland along the coast of the Northern Foothills to the north-east of Gerlache Inlet. It has been named after Mario Zucchelli, dire ...

, the Italian Antarctic base. In November 2020, she was certified Category A PC5 according to the Polar Code rules. In September 2021, the vessel carried out its first Italian scientific campaign in the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

and in November 2021, it left for

as part of the 37th Italian scientific expedition to Antarctica. In November 2022, during its voyage to New Zealand for the 38th Italian scientific expedition to Antarctica, while still in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, the vessel rescued 92 people drifting at sea for six days. In February 2023, she set a record by sailing further south than any ship before, achieving 78°44•280´S in the

Bay of Whales The Bay of Whales was a natural ice harbour, or iceport, indenting the front of the Ross Ice Shelf just north of Roosevelt Island, Antarctica, at the southernmost point of the world's ocean. While the Ross Sea stretches considerably further s ...

, which was made possible by an unusual lack of ice. For this achievement, the vessel and its team were awarded the 29th Premio Barcola. In June 2023, the vessel spent 18 days in the Mediterranean Sea on a research campaign contributing to three different geologic and oceanographic scientific initiatives. During the 39th Italian scientific expedition to Antarctica, which ended in March 2024, researchers aboard the vessel discovered a previously unknown chain of underwater volcanoes in the seas of Northern

Victoria Land Victoria Land is a region in eastern Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78th parallel south, 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Ant ...

in Antarctica. In December 2024, the vessel suffered a port engine failure which required repairs in the harbour of Lyttelton, New Zealand. Between December 2024 and March 2025, the vessel spent two months travelling in Antarctic waters to study physical and biogeochemical dynamics around the continent. This was the 40th scientific expedition to Antarctica as part of the Italian National Programme for Research in Antarctica. In march 2025, the vessel transported the oldest ice samples ever extracted from Antarctica, result of the Beyond EPICA project, to Europe.

References

External links

Image
of RRS ''Ernest Shackleton'' on the British Antarctic Survey website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Laura Bassi (icebreaker) Ships built in Norway Icebreakers of the United Kingdom Research vessels of the United Kingdom 1995 ships British Antarctic Survey

History

RRS ''Ernest Shackleton''

RV ''Laura Bassi''

See also

References

External links