Royal Navy's icebreaker heads south after completing first northern mission in two years

The Royal Navy's ice patrol ship is heading south after completing her first mission in Arctic polar waters for two years.

HMS Protector sailed through the Hudson Strait into Hudson Bay, the inland sea indenting east-central Canada, to carry out two weeks of ice-breaking operations in northern polar waters for the first time since 2022.

The Plymouth-based survey and scientific vessel's deployment was primarily to provide important training in navigating the region but also to form close bonds with the Canadian Coast Guard, which deploys 20 icebreakers across the Arctic.

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Commanding Officer Captain Tom Weaver said: "This was a great opportunity to operate at the opposite end of the world than we are used to and hone our ice-breaking skills with the help of the Canadian Coast Guard."

HMS Protector is now bound for the Caribbean and a transit of the Panama Canal before a period of maintenance ahead of her first patrol of the Antarctic during the 2024-25 season.

The vessel routinely deploys to the South Atlantic during the ice season, travelling to locations in and around the Antarctic peninsula. Occasionally, she heads to Arctic conditions to certify she's able to operate in icy northern regions.

Her usual missions include undertaking hydrographic surveys of an area to improve navigation safety, providing support to UK and foreign research stations and assisting the British Antarctic Survey.

Capt Weaver added: "In the north we saw vast floes of sea ice, moving with the winds and the strong currents, some of it formed last winter, some of it formed many years ago, getting harder with age. 

"In Antarctica, we see more icebergs and ice from glaciers that is thousands of years old and hard as concrete.

"In both places, you need to know what you are looking at to avoid getting into trouble, so ice training in different conditions is always valuable."

HMS Protector is the Royal Navy's only ice patrol ship. She calls the freezing waters of Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere home.

Protector's crew includes a team of hydrographers, who undertake exploratory surveys and ensure that environmental guidelines are being upheld.

The ship has two cranes capable of lifting up to 60 tonnes of stores and equipment.

She is referred to as the Royal Navy's Swiss army knife – she's red, versatile, and always there when she's needed!