Asgard II sinking in Biscay

oceanfroggie

oceanfroggie

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Just heard reports that Asgard II sinking in Biscay, rescue op underway. Epirb went off early this morning and crew took to life rafts.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0911/asgard.html

asgard2_germany.jpg


All crew have now been rescued by French Coast Guard

http://www.asgard2.ie/index.php?page=life_aboard_asgard2
 
What a shame!
She was one of the few real sailing vessels, unlike the 'diesel freighters in drag' that pass for tall ships.
 
Abandoned early this morning whilst on passage from Falmouth to La Rochelle, all rescued (including one British trainee). Huge loss to the Irish nation.
 
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0911/asgard.html

The sail training vessel Asgard II has sunk 20 miles off the coast of France in the Bay of Biscay.

The ship was lost at 8.25 local time (7.25am Irish time) 20 nautical miles from the French coast, south-west of Belle-Île-en-Mer..

Asgard II had earlier been abandoned after taking water overnight.
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The alarm was raised shortly before 2.30am this morning.

The Government-owned Asgard II was heading from Falmouth in Cornwall to La Rochelle in France for minor maintenance.

On board were five crew and 20 trainees, most of them Irish.

At 2.20am, UK Marine Coastguard in Kinloss picked up a distress signal from the vessel.

It is understood the Master of the Asgard reported the ship was taking in water.

All crew and trainees took to life-rafts, and have been rescued safely by a French coastguard vessel.

They were taken to a hotel on the nearby island of Belle-Île-en-Mer.

A spokesperson from the Department of Defence said the Asgard had water up to its decks, but had not yet sunk.

The LE Niamh was on its way to offer assistance.

Officials from the Irish Embassy in Paris are travelling to the island to meet them.

Commandant Fergal Purcell of the Defence Forces says it was too early to know whether the Asgard could be recovered.
 
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She should be capable of being recovered; I don't think the water is very deep there.

John

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Over a 100m according to my chart software...
 
Last report I saw said water was up to the deck, but she had not sunk. If she really is full of water but still afloat, it may mean she has enough bouyancy built in such that she will not sink, and it appears that there is still some hope of salvaging her. I wonder what the weather conditions are like?

It must have been a big leak to fill her so quickly, is she another victim of a floating container?
 
According to BBC

Biscay:
West 5 or 6. Rough or very rough, moderate in the southeast at first. showers. Moderate or good.
 
[ QUOTE ]

is she another victim of a floating container?

[/ QUOTE ]

Possibly, or also maybe a victim of Irish ineptitude. We no longer have any real expert knowledge of timber vessels in either our shipyards or our Marine Surveyors. She belonged to the state and so I would also imagine that politics dictated that any work had to be undertaken in the Republic. Who knows what problems they may have missed out on during her last dry dock and survey?

But then this is Sept 11th and maybe that's all just a conspiracy theory /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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is she another victim of a floating container?

[/ QUOTE ]

Unlikely. I think the biggest clue is that she was en route for "minor maintenance." A misnomer that usually indicates a serious amount of work.
 
More details here (for those who speak French!)

Communiqué de presse

Naufrage d'une goélette au large de Belle-Île

(Télécharger le PDF)

Brest, le 11 septembre 2008

Ce matin, vers 03h10, la goélette de 32 m Asgard 2 battant pavillon irlandais, et appartenant au ministère de la défense de ce pays, a signalé au Centre Régional Opérationnel de Surveillance et de Sauvetage d'Etel (CROSSA) qu'elle avait une forte voie d'eau. Le bateau se trouvait alors à 22 km dans l'ouest de Belle-Ile avec 25 personnes à bord. Il se rendait de Falmouth (Grande-Bretagne) à La Rochelle.

Le CROSSA a alors immédiatement déclenché une opération d'assistance en déroutant un navire de commerce, l'Arklow Venus, et la goélette Belle-Poule de la marine nationale, qui se trouvaient à proximité, en faisant appareiller les canots de la Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (SNSM) de Belle-Ile et de Groix, et en demandant le concours de deux hélicoptères de la marine nationale : un dauphin de service public basé à Lanvéoc (Finistère) et un Lynx de la frégate Tourville, qui se trouvait alors à 135 km du bateau en difficulté.

Vers 04h00, l'équipage de l'Asgard 2 a signalé que le bateau coulait, ce qui nécessitait une évacuation à bord des radeaux de sauvetage. Vers 04h30, l'ensemble des moyens d'assistance a atteint la zone du naufrage. L'équipage a été récupéré par les canots de la SNSM, qui sont actuellement en route vers le Palais (Belle-Ile) pour y être débarqué. Les moyens aériens ont pu constater que l'épave était immergée entre deux eaux. Elle présente donc toujours un danger pour la navigation.

Tous les moyens d'assistance ont repris leur activité normale. La préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique a émis un avis urgent aux navigateurs pour signaler l'existence de ce danger pour la navigation. La zone reste surveillée par le sémaphore du Talut de la marine nationale situé à Belle-Ile.

http://www.premar-atlantique.gouv.fr/actualite/communiques/2008/9/11.html
 
Nonsense. Asgard was very well maintained and I know from someone connected with the ship that the planned maintance was very minor and not urgent.

Whatever happend , happened very fast. When the alarms went off the water was already surging in.


[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
is she another victim of a floating container?

[/ QUOTE ]

Unlikely. I think the biggest clue is that she was en route for "minor maintenance." A misnomer that usually indicates a serious amount of work.

[/ QUOTE ]
 
Translation:

Breast, 11th September

This morning at about 0310, the 32 meter schooner Asgard 2 flying the Irish flag and belonging to the Irish Defence Ministry signaled to the regional surveillance and rescue centre at Etel (CROSSA) that she had a serious leak. The boat was then 22 km west of Belle Ile with 25 people aboard. It was sailing from Falmouth (Great Britain) to La Rochelle.

Crossa then immediately launched a rescue operation by rerouting a commercial vessel, Arklow Venus, and the schooner Beautiful Chicken of the French Navy which were in proximity, calling life boats from Belle Ile and Groix, and requesting the use of two choppers of the French Navy, a Dauphin (not a Renault Dauphin, presumably, ed) from the rescue service based at Lanveoc and a Lynx from the frigate Trouville (so that's where he's been, ed) which was 135 km from the vessel in difficulties.

At around 0400 the crew of Asgard 2 signaled that the boat was sinking, which necessitated an evacuation into liferafts. Around 0430 the elements of the rescue were on scene, The crew were rescued from the liferafts by the lifeboats which are currently on their way to The Palais (Hammersmith? ed) to be landed. The airborne assets were able to confirm that the wreck was afloat and waterlogged. Therefore she presents a danger to navigation.

All the rescue assets have returned to their normal activity. The maritime administration of the Atlantic has sent an urgent warning to navigators, drawing attention to the existence of this danger to navigation. The areas remains under surveillance by the Talut signal station and the French Navy based at Belle Ile.
 
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