The Ship's Company of HMS Protector at Rothera, Antarctica
The Ship's Company of Ice Patrol Vessel HMS Protector are pictured in Rothera, Antarctica.
HMS Protector delivered fuel to Rothera station, which is the largest hub of the British Antarctic Survey’s mission on the frozen continent.
In doing so, the Portsmouth-based icebreaker ventured to her most southerly point yet – 67°34’S. That’s nearly 800 miles from Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the Americas.
Protector was asked to deliver aviation fuel – always a potentially-hazardous task, but one made more challenging given the conditions so far south.
The ship had to pump 168 cubic metres of fuel ashore at a rate of 15 cubic metres an hour. That’s 15,000 litres/3,300 gallons every 60 minutes - or enough fuel to fill up more than 270 Ford Focuses.
And the work had to be done in temperatures of -15°C, with Protector herself rolling heavily.
After meetings two dozen crew members took part in a ‘winter Olympics’ with the BAS team – and promptly beat the scientists on their own turf.
The event, whose highlight was the cross-country ski race, was played out against the stunning backdrop of the Adelaide mountains.
Photographer: LA(Phot) Arron Hoare
Image 45153918.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
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