A ship named after legendary broadcaster and writer Sir David Attenborough has stopped in Plymouth for supplies before heading to Antarctica.
The Royal Navy said RRS Sir David Attenborough, Which was almost named Boaty McBoatface after a public voteIt described it as one of the “most advanced polar research ships in the world.”
The ship visited His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport on Wednesday and is scheduled to depart for a seven-month stay in Antarctica on Friday.
Captain Will Whatley said they were in Plymouth to load jet fuel to support its research stations in Antarctica.
Captain Will Whatley said the ship will visit new areas [BBC]
He said the ship is changing the way research is conducted in the polar regions, providing scientists with a modern platform to look at the oceans, seafloor, ice shelves and atmosphere.
“There are quite a few different science projects this season that are under long-term monitoring, and there are some new areas that we haven’t visited before,” Captain Whatley said.
He said the ship has a huge amount of built-in technology to handle a wide range of expected sea conditions.
“We have a system called dynamic positioning where we can use the computer to basically tow the vessel, stabilize it and keep its position down to a few centimeters in most weather conditions and even in severe weather.
“It may move up to a meter but that’s okay. It means we can continue to provide science even in the middle of a Southern Ocean storm.”
Captain Whatley said the ship had a crew of 30 and 60 scientists on board.
Dr. Rhiannon Jones is one of the scientists on board the ship [BBC]
British Antarctic Survey marine chemist Dr Rhiannon Jones said RRS Sir David Attenborough was responsible for resupplying several Antarctic research bases.
“The containers contain all the supplies and the food and all the medicine and all those things that we need for these people who live there summer and winter and to keep them safe,” she said.
“It’s a huge operation, so we need to have all the equipment we need for the next seven months ready to go.”
Professor Geraint Tarling is a regular visitor to Antarctica [BBC]
British Antarctic Survey marine ecologist Professor Geraint Tarling said he had been doing Antarctic science for 22 years and his fascination had “never stopped”.
Professor Tarling said there were five research bases they needed to attend in Antarctica where they unloaded supplies stored on the ship, made sure they were in good condition and exchanged personnel.
“After that, you will do some scientific trips,” he said.
“They will go and try to study a number of things.
“We will look at how ocean currents affect how the world’s circulation and the rest of the world work.”
Professor Geraint Tarling considers Antarctica an “amazing environment” full of life [BBC]
He described Antarctica as an “amazing environment,” adding that “life exists everywhere.”
“It last went last year and we were surrounded by whales for days on end,” he said.
“We know it’s a really sensitive environment, one that’s changing very quickly and that’s why we need to go there and take critical measurements to understand what’s happening now and predictions of what’s going to happen in the future.”
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