RRS Bransfield

This was the only BAS ship to visit Halley. She would arrive in mid December and deliver supplies & summer staff, leave between Christmas & New Year and the return in February to take all but the wintering team home.

RRS Bransfield at the sea ice at Halley
Brasnsfield arrives at Halley, December 1994

This is the emotional moment when she arrived on 14th December 1994. As she was nosing into the sea ice we had to dodge flying fruit as some well meaning soul decided that we needed some fresh fruit. Well, we did, but not in the middle of our foreheads! you can just about see the incoming people on the bow.

RRS Bransfield at the low shelf at N9, Halley
Bransfield at N9

In 1996, when I was to leave Halley, there was no useable sea ice. Consequently, the ship had to tie up 50km up the coast ( a very long way in at sno cat speeds ). We called this spot N9 (I don't know why), and the ice shelf was so low there that the ship could winch things straight off it. Rest assured, it wasn't sinking.

RRS Bransfield at Coronation Island
Bransfield at Coronation Island

This is nowhere near Halley, but it's quite pretty. This is the ship in front of Coronation Island, one of the South Orkney Islands. I was in the launch, on my way to Signy base when I took this.