The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that funding has been allocated to replace HMS Protector, the Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship, but says the timeline for delivering a successor depends on a procurement method that has not yet been decided.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, asked by when the department plans to replace the ship, referencing paragraph 52 of the Defence Investment Plan. Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard replied on 8 July: “The Defence Investment Plan has allocated funding to replace HMS Protector but the exact timeline for this replacement is subject to further work. This will depend on the method of procurement which is yet to be decided.”
HMS Protector is the Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship, operating primarily in the Antarctic in support of the British Antarctic Survey and the UK’s obligations under the Antarctic Treaty, providing hydrographic survey work and a British naval presence in the region during the southern hemisphere summer.
The vessel was bought in 2011 as an interim solution, a converted Norwegian-built icebreaker originally named Polarbjørn, after the previous ice patrol ship, HMS Endurance, was seriously damaged by flooding in 2008 and later scrapped.
Surely another STUFT type?
You would hope, no need to go bespoke on such a capability.
Almost certainly as I doubt if the budget for purchase and conversion is more than £100m. Cammell Laird may lobby for a modified version of the RSS David Attenborough to be ordered, but that would surely cost c.£300 m. During SDR there were discussions about whether two ships were needed, to cover both the Artic and Antarctic – but nothing more.
In this case I would just get one of the many designs that VARD have.. they build everyone’s constabulary ice breakers and have loads of off the shelf patrol and support designs with a helicopter hanger… we owe Norway a load of of set..
I would not go STUFT for this as we know the ice zones are going to go likely go hot at some point in the next ships life.. so make it fitted for but not with something that will keep it alive.. we cannot fit a defensive armament yet due to treaty..but I’m betting either north or south we will want an armed ice breaker at some point.
I agree in part. The Germans have been doing some ice-strengthened coastguard vessels too, but we have a deal with the Norwegians already so Vard is the obvious first step. We don’t need a major level icebreaker, and Protector at Ice 5 is very seasonally limited. We need something similar that’s ocean-going. Having one purpose built won’t be that much more expensive than a conversion. Where I disagree is the implication that we need some kind of warship for when the situation heats up. “Defensive armament” won’t make a ship that isn’t designed to be survivable that much better off. So modifications for survivability are what I would be looking for.
However, I think also having a few ice-hardened constabulary vessels to replace the batch 1 Rivers would be a good idea. That way we could have the large specialist Protector-replacement for the Antarctic and still have some smaller vessels for home waters and the North that could handle summer ice. Again, not warships per se, and we should expect them to leg it if the situation gets too tough. Unfortunately, the OPVs got short shrift in the DIP (I think because the RN undervalues constabulary vessels — not seeing them as a primary tasking), just a promise to review the situation, which means no money as I read it.
This is an area of greatest need – the opening of the Arctic and American comments about defending the area suggests that one extra at least will also be needed for the Arctic.
Yup, It’s a new Cold War we are seeing at both ends !
I had one of those after swimming in the river Avon last summer
😁 … and a nasty rash probably !
Sounds like they’re deciding whether to go purpose-built, or a merchant conversion.
If we decide to go purpose-built, perhaps a small hangar/support facility might be useful for various small remotely-operated vehicles used in ecological surveying. Obviously, I don’t think it needs anything more than small arms for defence.
Why not a pair of ships? One for north, one for south patrols? Would something like the Canadian Harry de Wolf AOPV be okay for the UKs needs? And is hangered.
We only patrol during the summer season of each hemisphere (as winter ice locks things down completely), so having two ships would increase our overall availability but still wouldn’t allow for a truly constant, year-round presence at either pole.
The Canadian Harry De Wolf-class they mentioned is a Polar Class 5 vessel, meaning it’s restricted to summer/shoulder seasons and can’t handle deep winter polar ice either.
Canadian Coast Guard are reported to be getting 16 Class 4 Ice Breakers from Seaspan, in 3 batches, over the next 10 years. Would these be a useful base design?
Thanks for that. We might need three then and at a higher icebreaker spec. Just one seems so inadequate. The south vessel could back up for Falkland Island patrols. And having a hangar has got to be useful.
These ATS ships the RN are getting do they have any ICE spec considering they’ll be operating in the Artic / far north?
Add it to the requirements for multi-purpose large drones.
If they do get a replacement it will only ever be one, NO manpower to man a second one. No one wants to serve in the RN anymore, and can’t blame them.
Oh go on then….. what name do you normally post under 😁😁😁
🤦♂️
Recruitment is up apparently.
Which I applaud HMG for.
I’m interested in your sleuthing, do you have a list of possibles?
much of what is being said in this chat is nonsense. Eyes on Canada or Denmarks ice capable patrol vessels are just dreaming, and mention of a variant of the RRS David Attenborough is ludicrous, thats a 15,000tonne ship. Endurance 1967-1991 was around 3,600 tonnes, Polar Circle/Endurance and Protector were around 6,000tonnes. All were conversions, so a conversion is most likely.
However, the UK-Norway OSV programme is intended to could produce a suitable solution as they are being designed with the high-north in mind, which would also lend itself to perhaps taking on the Antarctic Patrol role.
Essentially the role and tasks performed down south are just a patrol vessel with a few specialist capabilities and ice capability.
– Hydrographic Charting
– Treaty Enforcement/Compliance inspections at foreign Antarctic stations
– Scientific and logistical Support to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
– A visible UK sovereign presence in the British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.
– Environmental Protection & Patrols, Monitoring and deterring illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing in the Southern Ocean.
– Search & Rescue