EDM 1480: One hundredth anniversary of the Royal Research Ship Discovery

That this House celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of the designation of the internationally significant Discovery as a Royal Research Ship (RRS); notes that the Discovery was first launched by the Dundee Shipbuilders Company in 1901 and carried Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton and their crew to the Antarctic on their Discovery Expedition from 1901 until 1904; recognises the continued importance of the RRS Discovery to the city of Dundee as both a museum and a visitor attraction; thanks all at Dundee Heritage Trust for all they do to maintain and preserve the RRS Discovery and its legacy; further recognises that, to mark the centenary, Dundee Heritage Trust have announced the 2012 RRS Discovery will be returning to the city; welcomes the announcement from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in March of a £3.55million grant to safeguard the ship for future generations; believes that the RRS Discovery should rightly be preserved for many generations as a symbol of the UK's ground-breaking work in polar research and its contribution to base samples in what is now viewed as climate science; and wishes all at the Dundee Heritage Trust and the RRS Discovery the best ahead of the celebration events later this year.