‘Eleonora E’ Salvaged Three Months After Sinking at Dock
In June, the boating world watched as the 162-ft schooner Eleonora E was t-boned at Port Tarraco, in Spain, by a Maritime Rescue boat that had encountered mechanical difficulties. The rescue boat Punta Mayor was reportedly conducting a maneuver when its engines became stuck in reverse. The vessel subsequently drove into the schooner where she lay tied to the dock. Though the schooner’s full complement of crew was onboard no one was injured. However, the ship herself sustained a large hole on her starboard side, took on water, and sank. We’re happy to report that a few weeks ago, Eleonora E was successfully re-floated and hauled out.
The salvage operation was carried out by Ardentia Marine and took three weeks and more than 30 personnel. They began beneath the water with divers assessing the damage and initiating the first repairs. International yacht brokers Boatshed.com described the operation as follows: “Once these first tasks were carried out, a set of balloons were put in place, which, accompanied by two large cranes, straightened the yacht. Repairs then proceeded to the starboard side, where the impact occurred, while a specialist team continued temporary repairs underwater.”
Once the main deck had been raised above the waterline, the flooded compartments were pumped out and the ship regained buoyancy.
Eleonora E was launched in 2000 as a replica of the 1910 Herreshoff-designed schooner Westward.
That’s a strange looking FAILURE of the planking… I am interested in knowing more.
As a wood boat enthusiast and dabbler in boat building and repair, recreation and the history of wood boats, may I encourage Latitude 38 to expand on the story of rebuilding of this beautiful yacht and add more classic boat resources and articles in the monthly edition.
Aloha
I believe the hull of the Eleonora E, as well as the original Westward, was fabricated out of metal.
Thanks Bruce,
Even more intriguing….
Looks like a steel boat, not a wood one