HMS Endurance in for repairs
HMS Endurance, the damaged British Royal Navy ice patrol ship, has finally been transported home from the Falklands to undergo extensive repairs following its flooding incident last December.
Ten passengers were rescued when
HMS Endurance
lost power as the engine room flooded off the coast of Chile last year. The passengers, from the British Schools Exploring Society, were airlifted to rescue by the Chilean Navy as a precaution.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the flooding in HMS Endurance’s engine room left it without main power and propulsion. An investigation is being carried out into the cause of the incident.
HMS Endurance arrived home in Portsmouth yesterday, completing the month long trip back from the South Atlantic. It is thought that the repair bill could run into millions of pounds.
Endurance will be floated off the back of the transporter ship MV Target over the next few days. It will then be towed into Portsmouth Harbour this Saturday.
At the time of the incident fears had been expressed that that the ship could be scrapped after it was towed to the Falkland Islands. The Navy subsequently decided to pay to repair the vessel and return it to service.
HMS Endurance’s mission is to patrol and survey the Antarctic and South Antarctic for seven months of the year.
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