GLOBAL REACH


pictures: la(phot) arron hoare, hms protector


● Capt Peter Sparkes stares at the searchlight-lit fl oes of ice off James Ross Island as Protector carefully punches her way out by night


made impressive camoufl age; at one point Lt Craig Guest had the shock of his life by almost stepping on a rather angry seal.


The seals proved very curious


creatures, on the fi nal morning as Lt Si Lockley opened the tent fl aps, a large fur seal growled disapprovingly. Quietly closing the tent again he thought it best to leave the seal to rest and use the opposite entrance for that particular morning. The waters around Point Wild have never been charted accurately until now. The survey party collected data about


the tide, shoreline and water


allowing very accurate depths to be plotted on the chart – particularly important as the area is visited heavily by cruise ships, who will rely on Protector’s fi ndings for safe navigation. “This has been a dream come true for me,” enthused LS(SR) Toby Casstles. “I never thought I would be lucky


enough to survey this part of the world, let alone spend three nights on such a historically-signifi cant island, this is the highlight of my career so far.” Offshore, the ship’s survey motor boat – fi ttingly called James Caird 4 – collected echo sounder data from the shallower waters, while Protector herself surveyed the deeper, more exposed offshore regions.


“Successful completion of this task is a major achievement,” said Protector’s Commanding Offi cer Capt Peter Sparkes.


from the data collected will help to ensure the


“The charts that will be produced safety


of the numerous


cruise ships, and passengers which visit this remote and unique location every year.”


NOW about that icebreaking we promised...


Having completed her work around


Shackleton’s party and their makeshift camp at Point Wild, Elephant Island


Elephant Island, Protector sailed a couple of hundred miles south to the eastern tip of the Antarctic peninsula and the waters off James Ross Island. Protector was charged with putting a small team from the British Antarctic Survey ashore so they could collect geological samples.


Because of the ice it took three attempts to get to James Ross. When Protector did get through she sent forth her small work boat, Terra Nova, which carefully negotiated the ice fi eld to land the scientists and their equipment, including suffi cient food and fuel to last up to 30 days in one of the world’s most inhospitable locations.


While the scientists got to work, the weather and ice forecasts aboard the survey ship began to look increasingly unfavourable.


After four days on James Ross Island, the decision was made to pull


the scientists out much earlier than anticipated – a change of wind direction meant there was a chance ice from the Weddell Sea would be driven towards James Ross Island – potentially blocking HMS Protector in, like a cork in a bottle.


Capt Sparkes decided the safest and least risky option would be to sail through the ever-increasing pack ice and send in the Terra Nova, fast rescue craft Yelcho and the infl atable boat, Whiskey 1.


The scientists were extracted with all kit and were back aboard HMS Protector within 90 minutes of the fi rst boat entering the water thanks to a textbook operation.


But now the ship had to fi ght her way out of the ice.


“Then the daunting task of breaking out of James Ross Island and into open water where the ice density was not as thick began in earnest,” said Capt


Sparkes. It took the ship 24 hours to negotiate


three dozen miles of ice which, in places was four metres (13ft) thick. She got through the Erebus and Terror Gulf just in time, for just hours after reaching open waters, the pack ice closed. By night, the ‘breakout’ was challenging


particularly – “like


navigating Hampton Court maze in the dark with a miner’s lamp on” in the words of Capt Sparkes. As well as being relieved not to be


marooned on James Ross Island, the scientists were pleased by the results of their abridged visit to the isle. “We are grateful to the crew of HMS Protector for their persistence in eventually fi nding a way through the ice, although this left us with only four days on the island, we achieved a lot in that time,” said Prof Mike Hambrey from Aberystwyth University. working with BAS.


Protector’s survey team land supplies in a RIB at Point Wild


www.navynews.co.uk


APRIL 2012 :


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