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''Asgard II'' was the Irish national sail training vessel, until she sank in the
. Department of Defence. Retrieved 13 September 2008. The vessel was owned by the Irish state and operated by Coiste an Asgard (a founding member of Sail Training International). For a period of time in the early eighties, the vessel was commissioned by UCC for use in marine research. ''Asgard II'' had a traditional figurehead in the form of a carving of Granuaile.About the ''Asgard''
Official ''Asgard II'' homepage. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
Indymedia Ireland. Retrieved 13 September 2008.Adventure sailing ship ''Asgard II'' sank off the French coast
Times Online. Retrieved 13 September 2008. Assistance was given by and and two lifeboats from Belle Île, Morbihan, France. Before the end of 2008, a plan to raise the ship was put to the Irish cabinet. It was hoped that the €3.8 million costs would be paid for by the insurers, with the vessel being raised in spring 2009, given favourable conditions.
The vessel was in a relatively good condition on the sea bed with one of her hull planks damaged; it is unclear whether this damage was caused by impact with the sea bed, or was the cause of the sinking, possibly from a collision with a semi–submerged container. She rests under of water on a sandy seabed with no rocks, and she was "upright on the seabed and salvageable" in September. An early salvage was desirable before damage from winter storms and fishing nets. On 23 February 2009, the then Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, announced that the ''Asgard II'' would not be raised. Jimmy Deenihan, spokesperson for the opposition Fine Gael party expressed disappointment:
In 2010, a private team of Irish divers recovered a number of artifacts from the wreck, such as the ship's bell and steering wheel.CEMS divers on Asguard team
- Latest News, CEMS Website
Official homepage of ''Asgard II''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asgard Ii Brigantines Maritime incidents in 2008 Individual sailing vessels Sail training associations Tall ships of Ireland Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay Maritime history of Ireland 1981 ships History of the Bay of Biscay Lost sailing vessels
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
in 2008. A brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
Older ...
, she was commissioned on 7 March 1981 and purpose-built as a sail training vessel by Jack Tyrrell in Arklow, County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
. She was named after the ''Asgard'', a yacht which smuggled weapons for the Irish Volunteers in 1914.Department of Defence - About Us. Department of Defence. Retrieved 13 September 2008. The vessel was owned by the Irish state and operated by Coiste an Asgard (a founding member of Sail Training International). For a period of time in the early eighties, the vessel was commissioned by UCC for use in marine research. ''Asgard II'' had a traditional figurehead in the form of a carving of Granuaile.About the ''Asgard''
Official ''Asgard II'' homepage. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
Sinking
''Asgard II'' sank in the Bay of Biscay on 11 September 2008, southwest of Belle-Île-en-Mer, at . The five crew and twenty trainees had earlier abandoned the vessel after she started taking on water. ''Asgard II'' was heading from Falmouth to La Rochelle for some routine maintenance.The wreck of the ''Asgard II''Indymedia Ireland. Retrieved 13 September 2008.Adventure sailing ship ''Asgard II'' sank off the French coast
Times Online. Retrieved 13 September 2008. Assistance was given by and and two lifeboats from Belle Île, Morbihan, France. Before the end of 2008, a plan to raise the ship was put to the Irish cabinet. It was hoped that the €3.8 million costs would be paid for by the insurers, with the vessel being raised in spring 2009, given favourable conditions.
The vessel was in a relatively good condition on the sea bed with one of her hull planks damaged; it is unclear whether this damage was caused by impact with the sea bed, or was the cause of the sinking, possibly from a collision with a semi–submerged container. She rests under of water on a sandy seabed with no rocks, and she was "upright on the seabed and salvageable" in September. An early salvage was desirable before damage from winter storms and fishing nets. On 23 February 2009, the then Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, announced that the ''Asgard II'' would not be raised. Jimmy Deenihan, spokesperson for the opposition Fine Gael party expressed disappointment:
In 2010, a private team of Irish divers recovered a number of artifacts from the wreck, such as the ship's bell and steering wheel.- Latest News, CEMS Website
Investigation
The loss of ''Asgard'' was investigated by theMarine Casualty Investigation Board
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB, ga, Bord Imscrúdú Taismí Muirí) is the Irish government agency for investigating maritime accidents and incidents. Its head office is in Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and larges ...
and its final report was released on 27 September 2010. The most likely cause of the accident, the investigation found, was that the ship collided with a submerged object. Although the maintenance and operation of ''Asgard II'' were found to be in excess of that required by the then-current regulations, a recommendation was made that the practice of classing sail training vessels as cargo ships rather than passenger ships should be reviewed.
See also
* '' Dunbrody'', another Irish square rigger * '' Jeanie Johnston'', another Irish square riggerReferences
External links
Official homepage of ''Asgard II''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asgard Ii Brigantines Maritime incidents in 2008 Individual sailing vessels Sail training associations Tall ships of Ireland Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay Maritime history of Ireland 1981 ships History of the Bay of Biscay Lost sailing vessels