Endurance set to return home
Dave Shirlaw
Endurance set to return home
Published
Date:
17 January 2009
By Matt Jackson
THE stricken HMS Endurance is set to be brought back to Portsmouth.
The navy yesterday revealed it
was looking for bidders to bring home the ice patrol ship on a heavy lift ship
or barge.
It is also looking for a firm to repair the major flood damage in the ship's
engine room after an accident last year.
Navy chiefs had been considering all options for the ship – including
scrapping her – as reported in The News on Wednesday.
But a spokesman confirmed repairing the ship had emerged as the preferred
choice in the last few days.
Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock said Endurance's homecoming echoed that of HMS
Nottingham, which had to be transported back to Portsmouth after running
aground off Australia in 2002.
The Lib Dem, who sits on the Commons Defence Select Committee, said: 'It's sad
to think that we will be seeing another ship returning like HMS Nottingham.
'That was a major embarrassment and this is coming within just a few years.'
Hundreds of litres of icy water gushed into the ship's engine room when she was
in the Strait of Magellan, off Chile, on December 16.
The vessel has been out of action since and is currently in the Falkland
Islands.
The navy hopes she will be back by May with the repair work to be carried out
in Portsmouth.
City councillor Jim Patey served in HMS Vanguard and was Lord Mayor of
Portsmouth when he brokered the city's adoption of the ship.
He said: 'Seeing Endurance come in on a barge is not the way we would like to
see her come back to the city.
'But at least she will be coming home, which is a source of relief for many.'
A navy spokesman said: 'The plan is to get her back to Britain, get her
repaired and get her back into active service.'
The full article contains 318 words and appears in NS-Final newspaper.
Page 1 of 1
- Last Updated: 16 January 2009 8:53 PM
- Source: NS-Final
- Location: Portsmouth
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