HMS Protector (A173)

2011-

Support Ship Protector (2011) class

IMO:	9233997
MMSI:	235086758
Call Sign:	GXRK
Shipyard:	Havyard Leirvik

Timeline

Date	Event
2001	Launched	as mv Polarbjorn
May 2011	Refit	Odense Staalskibsvaerft Installation of survey equiment and moving flight deck to aft.
May 23, 2011	Homeport	arrived HMNB Portsmouth
Jun 23, 2011	Commissioned	to replace the damaged HMS Endurance as Antarctic & Ice Patrol Ship. Leased from GC Rieber Shipping for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend lease for further 2 years. assigned to BFSAI
Nov 29, 2011	Deployment	departed HMNB Portsmouth for her first (7 month) mission to survey the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica and returned on 27 Jun 2012.
Feb 23, 2012	Deployment	Ferraz Base to South Shetland Islands to assist Brazilian and Chilean Navy personnel in fire fighting at the Comandante Ferraz Brazilian research base on King George Island. Comandante Ferraz Base
Aug 8, 2012	Port Visit	Ipswich Harbour to Ipswich for open day and visit by ships company to British Antarctic Survey HQ in Cambridge.
Sep 17, 2012	Deployment	departed Portsmouth for a 8 month mission to survey the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica and returned on 10 May 2013.
Sep 2013		UK MoD purchased ship from GC Rieber Shipping.
Oct 17, 2013	Deployment	departed HMNB Portsmouth for a 19 month double Antarctic summer deployment. Returned to HMNB Devonport on 12 May 2015.
Dec 22, 2013	Deployment	coastal sonar survey of Antarctic Peninsula
Jan 2014	Deployment	South Thule sonar survey of South Sandwich Islands, in particular around Douglas Straits between South Thule and Cook Island for the UK Hydrographic Office Douglas Straits
Oct 8, 2014	Port Visit	Grytviken rendezvous with HMS Iron Duke off Grytviken South Atlantic
Apr 1, 2015	Homeport	administratively relocated to HMNB Devonport, from HMNB Portsmouth on 1 Apr 2015. HMS Protector only returned from a double Antarctic summer deployment on 12 May.
Oct 2015	Deployment	departed HMNB Devonport for 4 year Antarctica and Southern Ocean deployment. Returned on 25 Apr 2019.
Dec 1, 2015	Port Visit	As part of South Atlantic deployment, will monitor Japanese Whaling activities, cooperating with RAN and RNZN. Hobart
Jan 19, 2016	Port Visit	Lyttleton Harbour to Christchurch. 1st visit of RN ship to NZ for 7 years. Lyttelton Port
Jan 17, 2017	Port Visit	Signy Station H visited Signy Research Station to remove redundant equipment.
May 2019	Refit	UK Docks Teesside Refit and docking period after 4 year Antarctica deployment.
Aug 20, 2019	Deployment	Departed the Clyde for Antarctic survey mission.
Sep 6, 2019	Port Visit	Hamilton Harbour Called at Hamilton to take on up to 200 tons of aid supplies for Hurricane Dorian relief in the Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian
Mar 2020	Refit	UK Docks Teesside refit at UK Docks, Middlesbrough until Nov 2020
Jun 8, 2022	Port Visit	Port de Montreal visited Montreal as part of Canadian eastern seaboard tour, departed for Quebec on 12 Jun.
Jun 14, 2022	Port Visit	CCG Base Quebec visited Quebec as part of Canadian eastern seaboard tour, departed for Sydney on 17 Jun.
Oct 2022	Refit	Montevideo Intensive maintenance period in Montevideo, following S Atlantic and Antarctic operations.
Jan 2026	Port Visit	HMD Devonport period alongside at Devonport

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