The "Braveheart" is a ex Japanese research vessel operated by the Stoney Creek Shipping Company of Palmerston North in New Zealand. She was refitted for this special voyage to Campbell Island where she acted as mother ship to an International Expedition of Dxer's in January 1999. The picture above shows the "Braveheart" in Wellington Harbour prior to departure.

Note: The cover has at top left the "Braveheart" ships cachet and official seal of the DX Association which organised the expedition along with the leaders and one other autograph. Postmarked Wellington on return from Campbell Island.

In January 2001 The "Braveheart" departed Lyttelton for the Ross Sea in Antarctica with a team of American and New Zealand researchers seeking to study the very large Iceberg B15 which had calved off the Ross Ice Shelf the previous season.  We have created a separate web page showing the departure of the Expedition which can be seen here

The "Braveheart" and the Ice Island Expedition team returned to New Zealand after nearly two months in southern and Antarctic waters. This included time in the Ross Sea and also doing filming and diving work in the Auckland, Campbell and Snares Island groups. They returned to Wellington on Saturday 10th March, 2001.

Note: The above cover has been autographed at bottom left by John Spruit who served as Engineer on board "Braveheart" during its Ice island Expedition. John is the regular engineer on board the vessel. he is shown at left

Note: The Ross Dependency Paquebot postmark is not often seen and is usually only applied to mail from vessels returning to New Zealand from the Ross Dependency which haven't been able to deposit mail at Scott Base and have carried their mail back to New Zealand.

The picture at left shows Captain Iain Kerr on the bows of "Braveheart" at Cape Hallet in the Ross Dependency on February 10th, 2001.

Iain is preparing the anchor winch