LÉ Deirdre
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History | |
---|---|
Ireland | |
Name | Deirdre |
Namesake | Deirdre |
Builder | Verolme Cork Dockyard, Cork |
Yard number | 819 |
Laid down | 10 August 1971 |
Launched | 21 January 1972 |
Commissioned | 19 June 1972 |
Decommissioned | 2001 |
Stricken | 2003 |
Homeport | Cork |
Identification |
|
Fate | Sold for scrapping |
General characteristics | |
Type | Offshore patrol vessel |
Displacement | 972 tonnes max |
Length | 56.1 m (184 ft) overall |
Beam | 10.42 m (34.2 ft) |
Draught | 4.38 m (14.4 ft) |
Speed | 33.3 km/h (18.0 kn) maximum |
Boats & landing craft carried | 3 |
Complement | 47 (6 officers and 41 ratings ) |
Armament |
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LÉ Deirdre (P20) was a ship in the Irish Naval Service. She was named after Deirdre, a tragic heroine from Irish mythology who committed suicide after her lover's murder.
Deirdre was built as a replacement for the Template:Sclass2-s. She was to have longer range and be a more seaworthy ship for work in the Atlantic. Deirdre became the prototype for the later Template:Sclass--type vessels.
Deirdre was one of the vessels involved in the 1979 Fastnet race rescue operations, assisting the crews of two yachts - SV Regardless of Cork and SV Silver Apple of Howth.
Deirdre was sold at public auction for IR£190,000. She was purchased by the English yacht chartering company Seastream International for conversion into luxury charter yacht Tosca IV for the company's owner, businessman Christopher Matthews. Speaking on the radio, a Seastream spokesman appeared pleased with their bargain as they had been prepared to bid up to IR£500,000. The auction starting price had been IR£60,000.
The conversion in a Polish shipyard was not completed as the English owner died. In 2007 she was towed to Brazil for further refit and completion.[1] Substantially complete, she arrived at Jacksonville, Florida in September 2012 for final outfitting as Santa Rita I. However, in August 2014, Santa Rita I was towed to Green Cove Springs, Florida, for breaking.[2]
References
- ^ "M/Y Tosca IV". Superyacht Times. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ http://forum.irishmilitaryonline.com/showthread.php?2067-L-E-Deirdre&p=418082&viewfull=1#post418082