Name Deirdre Yard number 819 Commissioned 19 June 1972 Launched 21 January 1972 Draft 4.38 m | Namesake Deirdre Laid down 10 August 1971 Construction started 10 August 1971 Length 56 m | |
Builder Verolme Cork Dockyard, Cork | ||
LÉ Deirdre (P20) was a ship in the Irish Naval Service. She was named after Deirdre, a tragic heroine from Irish mythology who committed suicide after her lover's murder.
Deirdre was built as a replacement for the Ton-class minesweepers. She was to have longer range and be a more seaworthy ship for work in the Atlantic. Deirdre became the prototype for the later Emer-type vessels.
Deirdre was one of the vessels involved in the 1979 Fastnet race rescue operations, assisting the crews of two yachts - SV Regardless of Cork and SV Silver Apple of Howth.
Deirdre was sold at public auction for IR£190,000. She was purchased by the English yacht chartering company Seastream International for conversion into luxury charter yacht Tosca IV for the company's owner, businessman Christopher Matthews. Speaking on the radio, a Seastream spokesman appeared pleased with their bargain as they had been prepared to bid up to IR£500,000. The auction starting price had been IR£60,000.
The conversion in a Polish shipyard was not completed as the English owner died. In 2007 she was towed to Brazil for further refit and completion. Substantially complete, she arrived at Jacksonville, Florida in September 2012 for final outfitting as Santa Rita I. However, in August 2014, Santa Rita I was towed to Green Cove Springs, Florida, for breaking.