HMS Endurance is the Royal Navy’s Antarctic survey ship. Her Mission is "To patrol and survey the Antarctic and South Atlantic, maintaining Sovereign Presence with Defence Diplomacy and supporting the global community of Antarctica". This involves close links with the Foreign Office, United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and the British Antarctic Survey. She deploys annually to the Antarctic, her operating area for 7 months of the year.

            HMS Endurance       

 I was very fortunate to be a guest of the Royal Navy on board HMS Endurance throughout the month of November. Other civilians included a BBC Wildlife team who were filming wildlife and landscape (using a ‘Gyron’ camera mounted on one of the Lynx helicopters) for the forthcoming 'Frozen Planet' series. Also on board was a film crew of four (Spiderlight Films) commissioned by Channel 5 to make a documentary about life of the ship and its company.

Lynx fitted with the Gyron camera

November was ‘Work Period 6’ and having flown from Brize Norton I joined the ship at Mare harbour in the Falkland Islands from where we sailed south across Drakes Passage to the South Shetlands – a remote chain of islands just off the Antarctic Peninsula.

Gentoos, Yankee Harbour

Surveying took place most days especially around Yankee Harbour and McFarlane Strait, (between Greenwich and Livingstone Islands). There was more survey work in the Bransfield Strait (between the Shetlands and Antarctic peninsula) and the Antarctic Sound (at the top of the peninsula) before the ship broke ice in the Erebus and Terror Gulf on the south side of the Antarctic Sound.

Greenwich Island

We then returned through the sound, picked up a team of surveyors that we had left at Yankee Harbour and headed down to the Gerlache Strait.

                                           Renier Point                                                                                                                    Brash ice, bergy bits and growlers

We paused at Paradise Bay and Deception Island before heading back north across Drakes Passage and finally returning to the Falklands.

Anvers Island

The trip was an extraordinary and unique experience for me; from the big seas we encountered in Drakes Passage to the magnificent Antarctic scenery around the peninsula, I often found myself overwhelmed by the drama of the views and wildlife.

Back at Mare harbour, Falkland Islands

I was put ashore whenever there was an opportunity, and always with a Royal Marine ‘minder’ to cover for any emergency such as transport failure or sudden weather change. Being deployed by MIB or Lynx helicopter was always a thrilling event in itself.

I would then be left to draw and paint for three to four hours, often several miles from the ship in a stunning wilderness of dramatic snow covered mountains and a foreboding sea littered with ice.

Erebus and Terror Gulf

Albatrosses (Black browed, an occasional Royal, Wandering and Sooty) and petrels (all sorts from Giant to Cape) would follow the ship across Drakes passage and ashore I visited several penguin colonies (Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap) as well as watching seals (Fur, Elephant, Weddell and an occasional Leopard).  Minke Whales were seen fairly regularly, there was a brief glimpse of some Orcas and the BBC spotted an amazing pod of beaked whales from the air.

Sooty Albatross

I sketched most days and took hundreds of photographs and over the next few months will be painting many pictures inspired by my Antarctica trip. I will be having a major exhibition of my work in June 2009 in London – more details will follow.

More Gentoos

I am most grateful to the Royal Navy who were exceptionally helpful and supportive throughout my time on board and who continued to be so.

                                                                                                                                      Photo: Karen Williams RN

Post Script: In mid December 2008 HMS Endurance experienced engine room flooding in the Magellan Strait and the Chilean Navy subsequently towed her to Punta Arenas where the damage was assessed. Recovery of the ship is going to take some time and there will be no further Antarctic Operations this season. Meanwhile a number of possible options are being considered for the full repair plan.