Hi Keith, the Endurance departed under her own power to the breakers in September 1992, however as part of the sales contract the old girl was supposed to be sold as a runner but the purchasing company Incom Ship Trading Ltd who originally stated she would be used as a pilgrimage ship disregarded this on the Endurance arrival in Karachi on 11/01/93 and she went to the breakers probably at Gandani Beach.
I'm surprised the disposal sales team actually wanted to sell her as a runner. The Endurance would I presume have been well maintained but was old by 1992 standards. One unusual thing about her was she was for sale as a runner but laid up on the trots as seen from the previous image..
She was the former Danish owned Anita Dan, before being purchased by the MOD for the Royal Navy in February 1967 and renamed HMS Endurance in July of that year.Subsequently she entered refit at Harland & Wolff Ltd (Belfast) for an extensive conversion,which included a hanger and helicopter flight deck,prior to her entering service as a Hydrographic,Oceanographic survey vessel and Antarctic Ice Patrol Ship as replacement for the elderly former converted Netlayer HMS Protecter which was due to be paid off for disposal in 1968.It was the announcement that Endurance was to be withdrawn as part of the defence cuts in 1980\81 which was to lead to the Argentine Juntas decision to invade the Falkland Islands in 1982.I agree totally with the previous post made by Ken about her more pleasing lines and a far more handsome looking ship to the present somewhat ungainly looking Endurance that eventually replaced her.
all very true the truth was that she was sold by the mod as a runner but they knew of the real intentions of incom, it was simply public interest and support for the old girl was so intense it would have been embarrasing had the mod sold her as scrap, this was their way out without wearing an outsized bowler hat
Report