The

motor yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

''Titanic'' is a 1,900-tonne yacht that was formerly the Japanese Government's research/fishing vessel and later ''Kelso''. In March 2010, she developed a leak while sailing in the Caribbean. Her rescue by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

was co-ordinated from the

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Description

Originally built in 1971, ''Titanic'' is a former research/fishing boat. She is long, with a beam of and a depth of . She is powered by four Niigata 6MQG31EZ diesel engines. As of April 2010, the vessel was being reconfigured to accept 4 HS Turbochargers 4800 series turbochargers. She displaces 1,900 tonnes. Her

IMO Number The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term covering two distinct meanings. The IMO ship identification number, is a type of hull number used as a unique ship identifier, and the IMO company and registered owne ...

is 7338561.

History

The ship was built in 1971 by Hayashikane Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd,

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

as ''Toko Maru''. Commissioned by the Japanese government as a fisheries inspection vessel, it supported the Japanese fishing fleet operating in international waters. After 25 years of service, deterioration of the hull, engines and other facilities led to the ship being decommissioned. It was replaced with a new, larger ''Toko Maru'', capable of supporting Japanese fishing at greater distances and rougher seas in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. In 1996, she was sold to Premier Fishing,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and renamed ''Kelso''. In 2009, she was sold to Bill Schlagel of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

who intended to convert her into a luxury motor yacht, and renamed her ''Titanic''. On 16 August 2009, ''Titanic'' visited St Helena where it was discovered that she was not displaying her name. The vessel's name was not on shipping registers either. It was established that the vessel was '' bona fide''. She departed the next day. On 31 March 2010, ''Titanic'' developed a leak while on a voyage from Grenada to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

where she was to undergo a refit. Crew member Mark Corbett used the yacht's satellite phone to call his friend Alex Evans's mobile phone. Evans received the call while in a DIY shop in Aberystwyth,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He took down details including the position of the ship, which was southeast of St Croix, (at ), writing the details on a till receipt. Evans then went to the local RNLI lifeboat station and telephoned the Coastguard at Milford Haven and asked to be put through to the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) at Falmouth from where the rescue was co-ordinated at a distance of over . The MRCC contacted the

at Portsmouth, Virginia who relayed a message to colleagues at

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

. A French aircraft was sent to search for ''Titanic''. A

helicopter was despatched from CGAS Borinquem, Puerto Rico. The helicopter landed a salvage pump on board the yacht, which was later taken under tow by . The tow was later taken over by the tug ''Mitchel''. The yacht was taken to

Frederiksted Frederiksted is both the town and one of the two administrative districts of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is a grid-planned city, designed by surveyor Jens Beckfor, originally to 14x14 blocks but built 7x7 to enhance the island commerce i ...

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

; none of the crew were injured.

References

External links

Shipspotting.com
Photos of ''Titanic''s call at Saint Helena in 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Titanic 1971 ships Merchant ships of Japan Research vessels of Japan Merchant ships of Panama Merchant ships of Belize Merchant ships of Saint Kitts and Nevis Maritime incidents in 2010 Ships built in Japan