HMS Protector is undergoing a major overhaul, including preparing the ship to carry unmanned survey devices say the Royal Navy.

According to a Royal Navy news release:

“Given the unforgiving nature of the Antarctic environment, Protector undergoes maintenance every time she returns from the southern ocean. And every five years she is subjected to ‘deep maintenance’ – a particularly thorough revamp which will prepare the vessel for the long term, in this case until the middle of the decade.

Image Crown Copyright 2020.

So over the summer, shipwrights and engineers at UK Docks are working above and below the waterline, overhauling Protector from bow to stern, topmast to keel. Her 60-tonne crane – which has repeatedly proven its worth in loading/offloading supplies and equipment in remote locations with no port facilities – and flight deck have already been removed for major servicing and, with the dry dock emptied, extensive work is taking place on the hull; moving at four knots, the 5,000-tonne vessel can cut through ice half a metre thick.”

The Royal Navy add that once work on Teesside is complete, Protector’s ship’s company will undergo operational sea training before the ship deploys in the autumn in time for the height of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Captain Michael Wood, the ship’s Commanding Officer, was quoted as saying:

“This refit marks the start of our long journey back to Antarctica. It will take real determination, and teamwork, to get there. However, I am certain we can make it happen.”

HMS Protector started life as MV Polarbjørn, she originally operated under charter as a polar research icebreaker and a subsea support vessel. In 2011, she was chartered as a temporary replacement for the ice patrol ship HMS Endurance and was purchased by the Ministry of Defence in early September 2013.

Tom Dunlop
Tom Dunlop
Tom has spent the last 13 years working in the defence industry, specifically military and commercial shipbuilding. His work has taken him around Europe and the Far East, he is currently based in Scotland.

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39 COMMENTS

  1. How about a hangar!! This capability is a game changer down south…vastly increasing capability and missions. The Royal Navy needs two ice breakers minimum…. we have huge antarctic territory that’s 5x the size of Great Britain….and I’m not including South Georgia or the sandwich islands.

    RRS Boaty mcboatface will help and be an upgrade for the British Antarctic team but they are replacing two ships for this one! Again decreasing our capability’s!…..why the hell do we keep cutting our numbers with almost everything!!…

    • Attenborough is also under something of a news vacuum facing delay in service date, apparently. OK, some delay with a new vessel is to be expected, but why the paranoia with secrecy over every damn thing in this country.

    • Unsure why a minimum of 2 ice breakers; Antarctica is under treaty that there is military presence from any country there. There is nothing to fight over in Antarctica; its a continent buried under a mile of ice.

      I’d rather spend the money on an additional Type 26 or a few more Type 31s, or at least up-gunning the planned 5.

      • Well even one for the sea route up north over Russia and one for south patrols ect, we have one. And they are far cheaper than a frigate, hell protectors an old Norwegian ferry.

      • There’s plenty to fight over in Antarctica, coal, gold and oil for starters but that won’t happen for many years hen the words desperate for new resources and they break the treaty.

        • And what real benefit do you think that will be to Russia?

          Oil is a waning commodity. Ignoring that you can’t even give oil away right now, the world is moving slowly away from fossil fuels. Coal is a dirty word and becoming a thing of the past, as is oil. We’re giving up petrol cars in 15 years, other countries doing similar. By 2050 there will likely be no petrol powered cars. Other vehicles will still use it but the worldwide demand will be a fraction of what it is now. No point in spending the money and resources for Russia to start drilling for oil in inhospitable environment half a world away, especially when Russia has sizeable reserves of its own already.

          • Oil is a waning commodity?

            You sure?

            I would say burning hydrocarbons is bit of a waste of fantastic raw material.

            There is more to oil than fuel, a lot more.

            There is the ‘green’ message and reality.

          • I’m well aware that there is more to oil than fuel. Plastics are a huge by product of oil that so far haven’t been effectively replicated by a replacement material.

            However, the vast majority of oil production is for fuel. In 50 years the global consumption of oil will be a fraction of what it is now.

      • Endurance had a hangar for its Wasp helicopters I remember, to keep out the ferocious elements. What does Protector A174 do to keep this vital equipment protected ? They were indeed vital in Operation Paraquat on South Geogia on A171.

  3. We need more Ice breakers and armed as Russia is gearing up for taking the Antarctic with all its military going on’s in that area .

    • Very unreasonable of Russia to have military in its own territory Dave. More serious note, you must know you will never get any meaningful armed icebreaker for Arctic, even if your government found the money and commitment, it would be at most 2 ships armed with 12 short range SAM and a 40mm so of little value up there, buy an extra T26 or couple of T31 instead

        • Matt, look at map, we have alot of territory inside Arctic circle but happy for you to correct me. And it’s Ulya, you can see it in the green letters above my comment. Ivan is boys name btw

          • Yes russia does but the North Pole isn’t russia no matter how many flags they plant on the sea bed.

      • Though’s who follow this issue know how desperate Russia is to secure the northern passage as a mean’s to help Russia’s own ailing economy in the future and the moves it has made military to do so, Ulya.
        Sorry to say Ulya my country is far richer and higher living standards then your Russia and as I said before only spends 2% on its military whilst Russia spends over 15 %(i sent you the link before:),,,So if needs be, i’m sure it can manage if pushed, but then again we are part of the free west and NATO so help is not to far away. The UK does not have spend money on keeping its people politically in check lol!!!

      • Type 25 was a design concept to upgrade the future light export frigate to RN spec. Neither got any interest! We lucked in with Type 26, though. (Yeh, know you meant that).

        • Shame we are building the least amount of them though. But they are dam sexy ships, and capable. We really need 8 type 31s and 8 type 26 frigates. Oh and two RN ice breakers

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