Jacques Cousteaus Calyso Heads to Shipyard

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

How cool is this!!:

Jacques Cousteau's Calypso Heads to Shipyard

 

[HopCar]

Sad to see her in that condition. Glad she will be restored.
I saw her once back in the seventies. She was hauled out at Merrill-Stevens on the Miami River.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Merrill-Stevens, what a history that yard has.

 

[dhays]

Maintaining a wooden vessel with a significant history is a good thing. Restoring a wooden vessel with historical value can be a worthy cause. Completely rebuilding a wreck like the Calypso, is not worth the money.

Keep in mind that I am a product of the Television generation and sat in my pajamas with rapt attention as I watched the "Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau".

 

[Mako]

Like many of you, I grew up with Cousteau as my hero and it's probably the reason I got into diving. But honestly, 10 million euro! They could build a SWATH research ship for that money. Perhaps they should give the Calypso a Valkyrie burial and just let it go. And BTW, the world of marine science and discovery was a different place back in the 60's and 70's. Today the world is quite saturated with scientific expeditions and Discovery Channel documentaries. So that begs the question... how relevant and/or important is the Cousteau Society today? Is it really worth the 10 mil to restore this vessel to operational status instead of just sending it to a museum to be appreciated by fans?

Just some hard love here.

 

[Steve]

On a better day!

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Like many of you, I grew up with Cousteau as my hero and it's probably the reason I got into diving. But honestly, 10 million euro! They could build a SWATH research ship for that money. Perhaps they should give the Calypso a Valkyrie burial and just let it go. And BTW, the world of marine science and discovery was a different place back in the 60's and 70's. Today the world is quite saturated with scientific expeditions and Discovery Channel documentaries. So that begs the question... how relevant and/or important is the Cousteau Society today? Is it really worth the 10 mil to restore this vessel to operational status instead of just sending it to a museum to be appreciated by fans?

Just some hard love here.

I seriously doubt you could build a SWATH research ship for 10 million Euros and it looks like there isn't enought of the boat left at the moment to put in a museum.

So if private money wants to restore it, I say good on them.

 

[kraftee]

My wife and I visited Calypso when she was at Merrill-Stevens for a refit in about '84. Met Captain Cousteau and had him sign my dive log book! Eric

 

[Ski in NC]

Rebuilding her from this state would be quite the ordeal. A high probability it will get to some stage and get abandoned, yet again, with the funds lost in the process. Too many personal and legal battles going on with the poor girl.

They will be effectively building a new ship. Why not just build a new ship entirely, replicating the shape and style, but making improvements where practical. And use modern materials.

Capt. Cousteau would not have built the Calypso as she was, it was simply a vessel at hand that was adaptable to the purpose.

Getting all sentimental about an old hulk usually does not end well.

 

[O C Diver]

Should have put a match to it and refitted another vessel.

Ted

 

[fryedaze]

Should have put a match to it and refitted another vessel.

Ted

 

[chriscritchett]

For all practical purposes, you hard-love types are right; what's the point? But what's the point of any one of us spending what we do on our ridiculously slow, inefficient, and frequently uncomfortable vessels? Because we can and we want to.

If I had lotto money I would spend it to rebuild that ship in a heartbeat (as long as I got to play with it), so I applaud loudly. What more deserving recipient of silly boat restoration money is there?

 

[dhays]

What more deserving recipient of silly boat restoration money is there?

This

 

[chriscritchett]

I think that one's pretty well taken care of already.

 

[Greatlaker221]

In Newport Beach CA, The Wild Goose is now a dinner boat but was once John Wayne's Yacht and before that a minesweeper and was built in the same yard as the Calypso. It is claimed to be a sistership. I was on a business meeting this year and had dinner. The food was fair but the Yacht was in great shape. I tried to get into see the engine room and bridge but no luck.

 

[Greatlaker221]

Side View

 

[bayview]

I thought it would be bigger, what are her dimensions?