All those who are excited for the rebirth of Jacques Cousteau’s iconic Calypso will have to wait a bit longer. The ship, a former British Royal Navy minesweeper transformed by Cousteau into a scuba-explorer’s dream vessel is undergoing renovation, as reported on ScubaDiverLife.com last year.
A setback for Calypso
Now it seems that although the renovations were pushing ahead at a shipyard in Turkey, there has been a setback. On September 12 at around 2:30 am, a fire broke out and damaged the legendary ship. The Cousteau Society reported no loss of life or injury. The damage has impacted only the newly finished wooden parts and the ship’s historic elements remain intact. A police investigation is currently underway to determine the origin of the fire.
The society reports that the fire will cause a delay of between six and eight months, not to mention the loss of much painstaking work put in by the team and dedicated carpenters.
The project will carry on as planned, says Francine Cousteau, President of the Cousteau Team.
“It’s an exciting, complex mission,” she says. “And whatever the price, the time, the obstacles, I will never give it up. For Calypso we have an excellent construction site, dedicated management teams, motivated and exceptional marine carpenters who work with love and talent. For them, for all those who have shown so much hope to see this ship rebuilt, I want to succeed.”
