Ice Patrol Ships: HMS Protector A173

[ivorthediver]

Indeed , its getting more like the "Mary Celeste" with each passing day , but thanks for the post .

[ivorthediver]

Surely this represents a shipping hazard , or are the "removal" implications fraught with legislation difficulties , which prevent its removal from the oceans , and why aren't the last owners / Insurers charged to remove this shipping hazard almost a case of fly tipping

[Little h]

NavyLookout
@NavyLookout
·
3h
Ghost ship MV Alta (encountered by @hmsprotector
mid-Atlantic, Sept 2019) abandoned South East of Bermuda in October 2018 has now washed up on the Irish Coast

https://rte.ie/news/ireland/2

EQ69B51X0AA3L9J.jpg

[Brian James]

Why was she not taken in tow months back?...

[Little h]

I have no idea Brian; the US Coast Guard took 10 crew members off after they had been stranded on the vessel for 20 days and they (US Coast Guard) left the vessel afloat but abandoned, as did HMS Protector A173. Salvage tugs don't appear to have been interested either ... 16 months seems an extraordinarily long time for it/her to be 'slopping around' on the ocean.

Late edit; USCGC Confidence rescued the crew members ahead of Hurrican Leslie, see following excerpt:-

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An aircrew on an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City dropped about a week’s worth of food to the crew on October 2, helping sustain the men until help could arrive.

The Confidence is now taking the 10 men to Puerto Rico where it is expected to arrive on Friday.

“We were conducting a law enforcement patrol near Puerto Rico when we were assigned to assist the crew of the motor vessel Alta,” said Cmdr. Travis Emge, the commanding officer of the Confidence. “We traveled over 1,300 nautical miles to get to the disabled ship ahead of Hurricane Leslie’s forecasted track and brought the 10 crewmembers aboard. We are all proud of our part in this coordinated Coast Guard response to rescue this crew.”

The Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center has been working to coordinate with the shipowner for a commercial tug to tow the vessel to shore.

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Source gCaptain October 11, 2018 by gCaptain

[ivorthediver]

Well I am not versed in Maritime Law , but that seems a very irresponsible thing to do , and could have caused untold damage to shipping / smaller vessels.....or innocent parties just abandoning it like that .......let alone the clearance costs now dumped on the Irish government .

Surely any Insurance claim by the known owners would be forfeited ?....... always assuming it WAS insured to go to sea !

I find this type of attitude should curtail any further trading by this company [ probably now wound up anyway ] but beggars belief that they can get away with it without some kind of Marine assuraty being paid upfront to dissuade these type of actions .....or am I being naive ?

[Pelican]

NAVY’S ICEBREAKER RETURNS TO THE WATER AHEAD OF ANTARCTIC MISSION
24 September 2020

Back in the water after five months high and dry is the UK’s sole ice patrol ship, gearing up for a return to the ice after two years away.

HMS Protector is now floating on the waters of the Tees after emerging from dry dock following extensive work on her hull since May.

She is on track to head to the frozen continent for the Antarctic Summer, supporting the work of British and international scientists studying the unique Antarctic environment and conducting hydrographic surveys to chart this pristine and frozen wilderness.

The revamp in Middlesbrough has been conducted by UK Docks working side-by-side with Protector’s crew.

After grit blasting in dry dock, five square kilometres of specialised paint have been painstakingly applied to the hull – by hand, by both contractors and the ship’s company.

The propeller shaft was removed, sent to Denmark for inspection, then re-installed. All the engines and generators have been refurbished and the quarterdeck rebuilt to make more space. Her 60-ton crane, the largest afloat in the Royal Navy, has been removed and refurbished.

Continues at:
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... Qbcl9tN70U

Note links below end of article.
Also video of Jack onboard and ashore 'down south.'
https://www.facebook.com/NavyNewsUK/vid ... 9801332118

[Pelican]

Protector's prop and shaft being refitted after a refurb.

[ivorthediver]

Nice shots there David , thanks for the update ......

[Pelican]

ICE SHIP HMS PROTECTOR BACK AT SEA AFTER £14M REVAMP
18 January 2021
The Royal Navy’s only ice patrol ship is back at sea after a £14m ten-month revamp to enhance her ability to work in Antarctica.

HMS Protector left Teesside after the biggest and longest overhaul during her ten-year career under the White Ensign.

The work carried out by UK Docks and the ship’s company since last March will mean the ship – unique in the Royal Navy’s Fleet – is better at breaking ice, can carry more equipment and supplies to support British and international scientists researching the frozen continent, and has improved facilities for the crew.

The ship spent five months out of the water and was originally due to emerge from refit in the autumn, before heading south to update maritime charts of Antarctic waters using her hi-tech suite of sensors, as well as conducting scientific research alongside civilian experts.

The revamp proved to be more comprehensive and demanding than originally anticipated – particularly as it’s been carried out entirely during the pandemic – which means the ship sailed three months later than planned.

But the Protector which finally departed Teesside at the end of last week is a ship far better suited to serving on the edge of the frozen wasteland of the Antarctic.

In 21 years in the Royal Navy, the Plymouth-based survey vessel’s 1st Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander Robin Nash, said the work carried out on Protector had been “the most complex, demanding, and hopefully transformative project I have been a part of”.

The pandemic – and the rules and limitations it prompted – “added layers of complication that could not possibly have been anticipated” from working routines and habits, to enforced medical protection for everyone involved plus “a level of ingenuity and pragmatism from the ship’s company that has been truly humbling.”

Engineering Technician Craig Armstrong, aged 25, from Brixham added: “I’ve been impressed by the scale, technical nature and improvements to the engineering systems and I’m looking forward to working with them and enhancing our skills.”

As well as the usual refit work overhauling engines, generators, re-covering the distinctive red/white hull with specialised paint by hand and removing the propeller shaft for inspection in Denmark before reinstalling it – the revamp has created better cargo space, a new quarter deck structure with a naval stores complex, workshop to maintain the upgraded small boats and launches Protector carries, and there’s a new gym packed with £50,000 of the latest fitness gear for the sailors and Royal Marines.

The extra weight improves the ship’s trim which makes her better able to break ice when she needs to.

“The past ten months on Teesside have transformed HMS Protector into a Polar Class vessel, ready for operations in the ice,” said Commanding Officer Captain Michael Wood.

“The ship has undergone wholesale modernisation, exceptional amounts of structural rework, and significant capability enhancement as part of this mid-life update, and all in challenging circumstances for our industry partners.

“And while we were unable to deploy to Antarctica this season, we will return stronger at the end of 2021.”

Photos at:
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... ctor-sails