Laura Bassi (icebreaker)

The Ernest Shackleton (1999–2019), now N/R Laura Bassi (2019-)
History
Norway
NamePolar Queen
OwnerGC Rieber Shipping
Port of registryBergen[1]
BuilderKværner Kleven Leirvik A/S, Leirvik, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Cost$27,352,000[1]
Yard number267
Laid down26 November 1994
LaunchedJuly 1995
Completed27 September 1995
In service1995–1999
FateTransferred to British Antarctic Survey
United Kingdom
NameErnest Shackleton
NamesakeSir Ernest Shackleton
OwnerGC Rieber Shipping
OperatorBritish Antarctic Survey
Port of registryStanley, Falkland Islands
In service1999–2019
FateSold to Italy
Italy
NameLaura Bassi
NamesakeLaura Bassi
OwnerIstituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS)
Acquired2019
IdentificationIMO number9114256
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and type
Displacement5455 tonnes loaded
Length80 m (262 ft)
Beam17.0 m (56 ft)
Draught6.15 m (20 ft)
Ice classDNV ICE-05 Icebreaker
Installed power2 x Bergen Diesel BRM 6 each 2550 kW
PropulsionThrusters : 816 Hp x 3 + 1088 Hp x 1 + 1 Azimuth 1088 Hp[2]
Speed
  • 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
  • 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (maximum)
Range40,000 nautical miles (74,000 km; 46,000 mi)
Endurance130 days
Complement72 (22 Officers/Crew, 50 expedition personnel)
Aviation facilitiesHelicopter deck, max helicopter weight 10 tonnes

Laura Bassi (formerly Polar Queen and RRS Ernest Shackleton) is an icebreaking research vessel operated by the Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, (in Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS). In February 2023, she set a record by sailing further south than any ship before, achieving 78°44•280´S in the Bay of Whales, which was made possible by an unusual lack of ice.[3] Between 1999 and 2019, she was the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) logistics ship, primarily used for the resupply of scientific stations in the Antarctic.

The N/R Laura Bassi moored in the port of Trieste
  1. ^ a b "Ernest Shackleton (9114256)". Sea-web. S&P Global. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. ^ Mike Gloistein. "RRS Ernest Shackleton". Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
  3. ^ "Italian Vessel In Antarctica Reaches New Destinations As Polar Ice Melts". NDTV.com. Retrieved 6 February 2023.