Scott of the Atlantic' Survey ship home after 12-month mission
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In her year away from the home, the survey ship – named after the legendary Antarctic explorer – has hoovered up data from more than 500,000 square kilometres of the North Atlantic as her sonar scanned the ocean to depths of thousands of metres.
The information Scott has gathered on her deployment will be analysed by the UK Hydrographic Office, allowing them to update charts to the latest and highest standards.
The ship – which celebrated 26 years in the Royal Navy at the end of last month – has enjoyed the most productive period in her career.
Since she left home in July 2022 she’s travelled 45,000 miles, surveyed an area of the sea floor equivalent to the size of Spain – or twice that of the UK. Her efforts have earned her Surface Flotilla Excellence Award and Efficiency Pennant for two years in succession.
“Operating at thousands of miles from help, my crew have pulled together and shown remarkable resilience and determination to overcome many challenges, and maximise our operational capability to deliver record-breaking results,” said Scott’s proud Commanding Officer Commander Tom Harrison. “Each crew member can be hugely proud of their achievements.
Although the ship herself has been away from the UK for a year, her crew regularly change, while Scott undergoes regular maintenance in overseas ports, such as Gibraltar.
The model – which mirrors that used by the five offshore patrol ships deployed around the globe – allows Scott to remain at sea for longer, spending more time surveying and less time ‘getting there’.
It’s also allowed for some memorable port visits for the crew including Tenerife, Brazil, St Lucia and most recently New York and Portsmouth (the one in New Hampshire).
Those visits have allowed the crew to train and work with some of the UK’s allies, demonstrate what the Royal Navy in general – and HMS Scott herself specifically – can do, and generally fly the flag for the country.
In particular, sailors welcomed more than 10,000 New Yorkers aboard when the ship visited the Big Apple for the city’s annual Fleet Week event, parading through the heart of Manhattan, and enjoying privileged access to some top venues.
In between there have been extended times at sea as Scott’s sonar suite mapped the sea bed.
For those not surveying – or directly involved in running the ship – numerous activities onboard have helped to pass the time when off duty: fitness circuits, badminton and table tennis tournaments, afternoon sports on Wednesday and spinning classes maintained the sailors’ physical fitness while Friday night quizzes, weekend barbecues, ship debates and Sunday ‘coffee mornings’ have gone a long way in maintaining morale and collective spirit.
“With a small ship’s company, we have the advantage of mess integration, making it a more personable and enjoyable deployment for all,” said Able Seaman Bethany Cummings, who looks after the administrative needs of her shipmates.
“The camaraderie is fantastic and can be a saving grace for the days when you miss home.”
Scott will now undergo some maintenance in her home base over the summer before returning to the Atlantic later this year for further survey work and another year of data gathering ahead of her life extension package in 2024.