Historic training yacht could sail into Asgard role

THE Asgard II might not sail again but another historic training yacht is getting a new lease of life that will see her back on the ocean waves next year.

The Creidne, owned by the Irish navy, is quietly undergoing a refurbishment at the naval base in Haulbowline, Cork, after years of low-level use by the navy reserve.

When the refit is complete early next year it is intended the yacht will be used by the full-time navy for training in seamanship, but the possibility of her filling in for the Asgard II may also to be considered.

This would be no new role for the Creidne, which was the predecessor to the Asgard II, operating as the national sail training vessel from 1975 to 1980 after the original Asgard was retired from service.

Built in 1967, she is classed as a Bermudan ketch, and, at just 50 feet in length, is smaller than the Asgard II, and would be limited to carrying 12 passengers. The Asgard II had 20 trainees on board when she sank in the Bay of Biscay almost a fortnight ago.

But after years of playing a limited role, the Creidne will become a main feature of the force, said Lieutenant Commander Eric Timon.

“People are used to seeing the navy on modern patrol vessels but the principles of seamanship and handling don’t change regardless of the vessel. You still have to learn to read the tides and understand the wind and waves and a sail training vessel is a great teacher.

“It’s also excellent for team-building and leadership exercises. To get the vessel from A to B, you need to work together as a team and sail training is a very good way of learning to do that.”

The navy will also retain use of the smaller 35-foot Tailte, which can carry eight personnel and is also used for sail training although it is expected to be confined to use by the reserve. While the possibility of the Creidne being borrowed by the Irish Sail Training Committee for civilian use to replace the Asgard II has been raised, its smaller size is thought likely to rule her out of contention.

However the Department of Defence said it was considering all available options although no decision would be made until it was known definitively whether the Asgard II could be salvaged and how the insurers would respond to a claim for her loss.

Full reports on the sinking, the cause of which is still a mystery, are awaited from the French marine casualty authorities and Irish investigators. All 20 trainees and five crew were rescued after taking to lifeboats when the vessel began taking on water during a voyage from Cornwall in England to La Rochelle in France.