Laura Bassi (icebreaker)

The Ernest Shackleton (1999–2019), now N/R Laura Bassi (2019-)
History
Norway
Name	Polar Queen
Owner	GC Rieber Shipping
Port of registry	Bergen[1]
Builder	Kværner Kleven Leirvik A/S, Leirvik, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Cost	$27,352,000[1]
Yard number	267
Laid down	26 November 1994
Launched	July 1995
Completed	27 September 1995
In service	1995–1999
Fate	Transferred to British Antarctic Survey
United Kingdom
Name	Ernest Shackleton
Namesake	Sir Ernest Shackleton
Owner	GC Rieber Shipping
Operator	British Antarctic Survey
Port of registry	Stanley, Falkland Islands
In service	1999–2019
Fate	Sold to Italy
Italy
Name	Laura Bassi
Namesake	Laura Bassi
Owner	Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS)
Acquired	2019
Identification	IMO number: 9114256
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Royal Research Ship (Research/Survey/Cargo)
Displacement	5455 tonnes loaded
Length	80 m (262 ft)
Beam	17.0 m (56 ft)
Draught	6.15 m (20 ft)
Ice class	DNV ICE-05 Icebreaker
Installed power	2 x Bergen Diesel BRM 6 each 2550 kW
Propulsion	Thrusters : 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)
Range	40,000 nautical miles (74,000 km; 46,000 mi)
Endurance	130 days
Complement	72 (22 Officers/Crew, 50 expedition personnel)
Aviation facilities	Helicopter 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.