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Displaying items by tag: Naval tugs

4th August 2011

Tug-of-War to Visit Capital

An unusual visitor to Dublin Port in the form of the large German Navy salvage tug, Fehmarn (A1458) is to make a weekend courtesy call, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The 1,289 gross tonnes Fehmarn (photo) is to arrive in the morning and dock at Ocean Pier. She is one of two Type 720 'Helgoland' class tugs ordered for the German Navy though after the decommissioning of her sister Helgoland, the surviving vessel is referred as the Fehmarn Klasse.

She was built in 1967 by Schichau Seebeck Werft, Bremerhaven and the 68m / 23-ft long auxiliary has a limited armament capability and a crew of 45. Employed as safety ship for the submarine training group, she is also equipped for fire-fighting, icebreaking and wreck location duties. The Kiel registered veteran vessel is named after a German island.

Published in Navy

Tom Dolan, Solo Offshore Sailor

Even when County Meath solo sailor Tom Dolan had been down the numbers in the early stages of the four-stage 2,000 mile 2020 Figaro Race, Dolan and his boat were soon eating their way up through the fleet in any situation which demanded difficult tactical decisions.

His fifth overall at the finish – the highest-placed non-French sailor and winner of the Vivi Cup – had him right among the international elite in one of 2020's few major events.

The 33-year-old who has lived in Concarneau, Brittany since 2009 but grew up on a farm in rural County Meath came into the gruelling four-stage race aiming to get into the top half of the fleet and to underline his potential to Irish sailing administrators considering the selection process for the 2024 Olympic Mixed Double Offshore category which comes in for the Paris games.