'Asgard II' more likely to be raised as exploration reveals it is largely intact

Daysha

It has been decided not to attempt a salvage of the Asgard II following its sinking off the northwest coast of France last year, Minister of Defence Willie O’Dea announced today.

Mr O’Dea said the board of Coiste An Asgard had a “full discussion” on salvaging the national sail training vessel but came to a unanimous view that a salvage operation should not be pursued, and that he had accepted its recommendation.

”Spending in the region of €2 million on a salvage effort, the outcome of which is uncertain, is something we cannot afford at this time,” the Minister said.

“A real risk exists whereby more than €2 million could be expended on a salvage effort that proves unsuccessful or, following which, the vessel is found to be damaged beyond repair.”

Mr O’Dea said although the Asgard II is a “well-loved and well-regarded” vessel, it was a 30-year-old wooden vessel with ever-increasing maintenance costs.

“The board was of the view that vessels that sink are “never the same” after restoration and are likely to have on-going maintenance problems,” he said. “The costs and risks involved in attempting to salvage and restore Asgard II are too great.”

”The board also took into account the view that parents of potential trainees . . . may be reluctant to allow their children to sail on a vessel that has sunk,” according to Mr O’Dea.

Although he could not allocate public monies to a salvage, the Minister added he was open to considering “any realistic and funded proposals from private individuals or groups as to the future of the Asgard II ”.

The Minister said he had accepted a recommendation from board of Coiste An Asgard to acquire a new boat with a steel hull and facilities to cater for persons with physical disabilities.

Mr O’Dea said although it was a “difficult conclusion” for the board to reach, he accepted it as being “right and sensible”.

“There is no doubt Asgard II was an outstanding sail-training vessel and was held in the highest regard both at home and abroad. She was an excellent ambassador for this country for close on 30 years.”

A a limited cruise programme will be provided on the Creidne , which was used for sail training prior to Asgard II and a number of places for Irish trainees will be reserved on the Norwegian sail training vessel, the Christian Radich , during the Tall Ships races.

All 25 crew and trainees were evacuated to life rafts when the ship began taking in water in the early hours of September 11th last year some 22km west of Belle-Ile en route to La Rochelle. They were picked up by French rescue services and the 27-year-old brigantine sank several hours later.

An initial survey showed that the ship was sitting upright and in good condition in some 83 metres of water. Images showed damage to one of its planks that may have been consistent with a collision with a floating object.

Fine Gael’s defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan said the decision not to salvage the ship is “deeply disappointing”.

Mr Deenihan said “any chance that the vessel would be recovered were seriously undermined by the Minister's own hesitancy on the matter.”

“The crew of the vessel have expressed their ‘distress and dismay’ at the news and I share in their disappointment,” he added.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0223/breaking40.htm

Such a shame. I sailed on her for the Tall Ships Race just a month before she sank and it was an amazing experience, one that'll be hard to replicate now.

Tabnabs

Slig wrote: »

As I said I'm not a sailor, just relaying what I've been told (Its the internet, it is my right DUTY to spread unsubstantiated rumours in order to sound like I know what I'm talking about:D)

Besides we have 2 tall ships, The Dunbrody and The Jennie Johnston.

And it's my mission to contradict all messages on here :D

The Dunbrody (or so I'm told :pac:) is a bit of an embarrassment in terms of seaworthiness, allegedly you can see gaps between the planks on the deck :eek:

Judgement Day

deise59 wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0223/breaking40.htm

Such a shame. I sailed on her for the Tall Ships Race just a month before she sank and it was an amazing experience, one that'll be hard to replicate now.

It's not a shame or 'very disappointing' it's bloody typical of the way things are done in Ireland and it's a bloody disgrace! Henry VIII's flagship "The Mary Rose" lay on the bottom for more than 400 years but the British could raise her. The best that the so called Asgard Committee could come up with was to say that parents might not let their children sail on a ship that had previously sunk!!!!:mad:

Let's give credit where credit is due and remember who bears the ultimate responsibility for this - Willy "Dell will not close" O'Dea and FF and the Greens!

Slig

Dyflin wrote: »

And it's my mission to contradict all messages on here :D

The Dunbrody (or so I'm told :pac:) is a bit of an embarrassment in terms of seaworthiness, allegedly you can see gaps between the planks on the deck :eek:

The first time I seen the Dunbrody she had 2 steel beams running right through her fixinig her to the harbour wall in New Ross.

If it was raining outside you got wet below deck so I can confirm your allegations;):D.

Boot Leg Mick

yeah i think the Dunbrody is more of a floating famine museum than a ocean going boat. But never fear, Willie is gonna buy us a brand new steel hulled boat, so I'm sure we'll see that sometime in the next 100 years

"Ocean Youth Trust, Ireland" do the same kind of sail training for teenagers as the Asgard did. They work out of Belfast but the boats are nothing like what the Asgard used to be

junkyard

Anyone else interested in an independent salvage operation? I spoke to some people recently and they think the two million price tag is off the wall, I'd say a few middle men are out for a killing. The equipment for salvaging is readily available for hire in France and a week of good weather would have her up. I'd say the HSE were involved in the costing for O'Dea.:rolleyes:

Tabnabs

Interesting, I see the 'Prince William' is for sale, a good bit bigger then the Asgard, but would seem to fit the bill perfectly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William_(ship)
http://www.tallships.org/document.asp?cat=696&doc=6603

(or why not just use the Jeanie :rolleyes:)

Tabnabs

Captain Colm Newport, master of the sail training ship Asgard II, has received an e-mail from a group of Belgian shipowners. They said they had a potential e4 million budget and were interested in salvaging the Asgard II, which sank last year in French waters, and restoring it for sail training, according to the Irish Times.

Capt Newport anticipates that the offer will be one of many such approaches. The e-mail landed as the vessel's owner, Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea, was en route to Chad, leaving in his wake an angry reaction to his decision announced on Monday to leave the hull on the seabed.

O'Dea said spending in the region of 2 million on a salvage effort, the outcome of which is uncertain, was something "we cannot afford at this time". He said he had accepted a recommendation by Coiste an Asgard, the ship's management committee, to "initiate planning for the procurement of a new vessel that will be similar in design to Asgard II but with a steel hull", as steel would be less expensive than wood to build with and maintain.

"While I cannot commit public monies to a salvage operation, I am open, over the coming months, to considering any realistic and funded proposals from private individuals or groups as to the future of the Asgard II vessel," Mr O'Dea said.

This last statement has upset supporters of the campaign to retrieve the ship, initiated by Afloat magazine last month. Capt Newport, who was congratulated by O'Dea last year for his handling of the rescue of four fellow crew and 20 trainees when the ship sank 22km west of Belle-�le in north-west France on September 11th, is very disappointed at the Minister's decision.

He has spent the six months since the ship's sinking working with Coiste an Asgard on a salvage, and had secured a contract offer for the State from Dutch salvors, Mammoet. The company is best known for its successful lifting with Smit International of the 9,000 tonne Kursk, the Russian submarine which sank in August 2000 in the Barents Sea with the loss of 118 crew.

The estimated price for the lift would have been around 2 million, and he also identified several French shipyards capable of carrying out emergency treatment work on the ship before full restoration. He commissioned the remote underwater surveys on Coiste an Asgard's behalf which showed that the hull was upright and capable of retrieval from 83 metres of water.

Yachting Monthly, 3 March 2009

Drummerboy08

I hope someone tries to salvage it. I would even pay that little extra to sail on her if it was necessary.

Cookie_Monster

Dyflin wrote: »

Interesting, I see the 'Prince William' is for sale, a good bit bigger then the Asgard, but would seem to fit the bill perfectly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William_(ship)
http://www.tallships.org/document.asp?cat=696&doc=6603

(or why not just use the Jeanie :rolleyes:)

That would be a great replacement, class looking ship:)

phrage

the crew were fond of a few scoops........... or was it an insurance job ?
83 metres is pretty shallow. 2 to 4 million to raise ? come on ! it could be lifted off the sea bed with bags and cables and towed submerged to a shallower resting place where it could be attached to float tanks by air scuba divers and thus brought to land.
should cost 20 to 30 grand tops.
it should be flogged and the money put to buying or building a decent new one.