Project: Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough - Polar Research Vessel
Design: Houlder Ltd / Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
Construction: Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Owner: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Operator: British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
Photography: Credit and thanks to Mike Golstein & Rich Turner of BAS.
The RRS, Sir David Attenborough, has been designed to assist the British Antarctic Survey in undertaking its logistical support work and increasingly vital research within the polar regions.
Funded by the UK Government and costing £200m the Sir David Attenborough is one of the most technologically advanced research vessels in the world.
This highly prestigious project, built in the UK as Hull Number 1390 by Cammell Laird Shipyard has delivered a boat capable of operating in the most extreme of conditions. Technologically advanced, the vessel includes an array of specialist scientific facilities, equipment and laboratories all designed to facilitate its research crew in conducting studies of the ocean, seafloor, ice and atmosphere as well as providing key support to the BAS teams located onshore.
Bolton Gate Company were extremely proud to be associated with such a momentous project and were particularly pleased to receive the order to supply three specialist Marine Rolling Shutters.
These bespoke heavy-duty shutters of varying sizes up to 6m in width and over 8.5m in height have been installed to the mid-ship scientific hangar area of the vessel. The compact yet resilient design of shutter, capable of operating at extreme temperatures, has resulted in closures with a minimal footprint thereby maintaining space which is at a premium on this research craft.
Amongst many other critical elements, the scientific hangar houses the vessel’s moon-pool which permits a safer deployment of the autonomous underwater vehicles one of which, being the Autosub Long Range (ALR) Class submarine, which carries a name synonymous with this project; that of Boaty McBoatface.
