Endurance (207) is the lead ship of the Endurance-class landing platform dock of the Republic of Singapore Navy.
The navy's intention to purchase the Endurance-class was revealed by former Defence Minister Dr. Tony Tan during his visit to Tuas Naval Base on 3 August 1996. These ships were to replace the five ex-United States Navy (USN) County-class LSTs, which were acquired by Singapore from the United States in the 1970s. ST Marine was awarded the government contract to design and build the four ships – a significant milestone for the local defence and shipbuilding industries given the scale and extensiveness of the programme.[1] [2]
She was laid down on 27 March 1997 and launched on 14 March 1998. She was commissioned on 18 March 2000 with the hull number 207.
Endurance participated as both a compliant and non-compliant vessel for boarding teams during Exercise Sea Sabre in 2004 as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative.[3]
RSS Endurance sailed to Aceh in Indonesia to deliver emergency supplies and medical personnel to aid in the relief efforts after a tsunami. She was then joined by Persistence on 4 January 2005 and Endeavour on 16 January.[4]
RSS Endurance became the first RSN ship to circumnavigate the globe when it participated in the 6th USN International Naval Review in New York City,[5] passing through both Panama and Suez Canal in 2000.