Sir, – Some 1972 memories remain vivid. Unsurprisingly, running HMS Endurance aground on an Antarctic pinnacle is one such. Captain Pritchard’s account of what happened and his ‘Swiss Cheese’ lessons (NR108/4) are largely correct, but they under-explain the human element. I had had the previous Watch, and then, in the absence of anyone else available in those remote waters, CinC Fleet tasked me with carrying out the immediate investigation – I was that Seaman Officers’ favourite, a watchkeeping Pusser, and also (after Vidal, Hardy, Hermes and Fife) the most widely experienced OOW onboard, and…
