Polar Diary: Aberdeenshire built HMS Terror passes the 7000km mark on its epic Antarctic journey

Back in July 2023 two model ships built by brothers Ollie and Harry Ferguson from Turriff, were launched in an effort to circumnavigate Antarctica.

The mission took its inspiration from the Ross scientific expedition of 1839-43 which involved HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.

Replicating the construction of the original ships, they built one metre long replicas of the two vessels, which were set to follow the circumpolar current around Antarctica, a journey of around 20,000km and which could take up to two years to complete.

As part of the journey the boats transmit scientific data on a regular basis including air temperature, ocean temperature and ocean pH along with a monthly photograph which is uploaded via satellite.

Unfortunately contact with the Erebus was lost after 500km into the journey, but sister ship the Terror continues to transmit data and this week passed the 7000km mark as she continued to head eastward.

Icoteq who helped design the ship's systems post an updated information map which shows the ship is now sailing in the waters to the south of Madagascar/South Africa on a course which will take eventually take it in the direction to an area the south of the very remote Ile de la Possession, a French territory in the subantarctic Crozet Archipelago which supports a scientific base at Port Alfred.

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