HMNZS Endeavour (1956)

HMNZS "Endeavour" was an Antarctic support vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy. She made five voyages to the Antarctic.

She was named after Captain Cook's Bark "Endeavour" and was the first of three ships in the Royal New Zealand Navy to carry that name, though if earlier continuity with the Royal Navy is considered, she was the tenth. It appears that no pendant number was assigned to her.

She was originally built as the netlayer AN-76 USS "Satinwood" for the US Navy. On 5 Aug 1944 she was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS "Pretext". On 20 Jul 1947 she was sold to the government of the Falkland Islands, converted to a research vessel and renamed "John Biscoe". At the time, she was extensively refitted for ice conditions, including having her hull sheathed in 3 inch of greenheart timber. She made a number of summer voyages to the Antarctic to relieve the stations manned by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. However a ship with a longer range and greater cargo-carrying capacity was required, and the name "John Biscoe" was required for the new vessel. In 1956 she was renamed RRS "Pretext".

Captain Harry Kirkwood had commanded her as the "John Biscoe" and, when asked to recommend a ship for the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition to take the New Zealand party to the Ross Dependency, he recommended this ship to the Ross Sea Committee. She was sold to the Royal New Zealand Navy in June 1956 and commissioned as HMNZS "Endeavour".

In Jun 1962 she was sold again, renamed the "Arctic Endeavour" and fitted out for sealing work in the Arctic. She foundered off Newfoundland on 11 Nov 1982.

ource

* [http://www.nzmaritimeindex.org.nz/ixvessel.asp?refid=&name=ARCTIC%20ENDEAVOUR&gsn=&owner=&num=&typ=&tid=0&tix=0&pix=0&SourceID=&ID=34020142&hit=2 New Zealand Maritime Index]

ee also

* Logistic ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy