Alcyone (1985 ship)

Last updated
Rotorship Alcyone in harbour.jpg
Turbosail ship Alcyone in harbour
History
Flag of France.svgFrance
NameAlcyone
Namesake Alcyone
Owner Cousteau Society
Port of registry La Rochelle, Flag of France.svg  France
BuilderAteliers & Chantiers La Rochelle Pallice
Yard number1238
Launched1985 [1]
Completed1985
Homeport Concarneau, Brittany, France [2]
Identification
General characteristics
Type Research ship
Length103 ft (31.4 m) [1]
Beam29 ft (8.8 m) [1]
Draught7 ft 8 in (2.3 m) [1]
Sail plan
Speed10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) [1]
Crew12 [1]

Alcyone is a ship launched at La Rochelle in 1985 for the Cousteau Society. Alcyone was created as an expedition ship and to test the operation of a new kind of marine propulsion system, the turbosail. Alcyone's two turbosails augment its diesel engines. Since the accidental sinking of Calypso, Alcyone has been the Cousteau Society's expedition vessel.

Contents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstellar travel</span> Hypothetical travel between stars or planetary systems

Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft between star systems. Due to the vast distances between the Solar System and nearby stars, interstellar travel is not practicable with current propulsion technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Cousteau</span> French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author (1910-1997)

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the Aqua-Lung, which assisted him in producing some of the first underwater documentaries.

HMHS <i>Britannic</i> Olympic-class ocean liner

HMHSBritannic was the third and final vessel of the White Star Line's Olympic class of steamships and the second White Star ship to bear the name Britannic. She was the youngest sister of the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic and was intended to enter service as a transatlantic passenger liner. She was operated as a hospital ship from 1915 until her sinking near the Greek island of Kea, in the Aegean Sea, in November 1916. At the time she was the largest hospital ship in the world.

RV <i>Calypso</i> Jacques Cousteaus oceanographic research ship

RV Calypso is a former British Royal Navy minesweeper converted into a research vessel for the oceanographic researcher Jacques Cousteau, equipped with a mobile laboratory for underwater field research. She was severely damaged in 1996 and was planned to undergo a complete refurbishment in 2009–2011 that has not been accomplished. The ship is named after the Greek mythological figure Calypso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Earle</span> American marine biologist and lecturer

Sylvia Alice Earle is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic Explorer at Large since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998.

The P-700 Granit is a Soviet and Russian naval anti-ship cruise missile. Its GRAU designation is 3M45, its NATO reporting name SS-N-19 Shipwreck. It comes in surface-to-surface and submarine-launched variants, and can also be used against ground targets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azipod</span> Electric drive azimuth thruster

Azipod is a trademarked azimuth thruster pod design, a marine propulsion unit consisting of a fixed pitch propeller mounted on a steerable gondola ("pod") containing the electric motor driving the propeller, allowing ships to be more maneuverable. They were developed in Finland in the late 1980s jointly by Wärtsilä Marine, Strömberg and the Finnish National Board of Navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Flettner</span> German aviation engineer and inventor (1885–1961)

Anton Flettner was a German aviation engineer and inventor. Born in Eddersheim, Flettner made important contributions to airplane, helicopter, vessel, and automobile designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotor ship</span> Ship with Flettner rotors as sails

A rotor ship is a type of ship designed to use the Magnus effect for propulsion. The ship is propelled, at least in part, by large powered vertical rotors, sometimes known as rotor sails. German engineer Anton Flettner was the first to build a ship that attempted to tap this force for propulsion, and ships using his type of rotor are sometimes known as Flettner ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabien Cousteau</span> Aquanaut, ocean conservationist, and documentary filmmaker

Fabien Cousteau is an aquanaut, ocean conservationist, and documentary filmmaker. As the first grandson of Jacques Cousteau, Fabien spent his early years aboard his grandfather's ships Calypso and Alcyone, and learned how to scuba dive on his fourth birthday. From 2000 to 2002, he was Explorer-at-Large for National Geographic and collaborated on a television special aimed at changing public attitudes about sharks called "Attack of the Mystery Shark". From 2003 to 2006, he produced the documentary "Mind of a Demon" that aired on CBS. With the help of a large crew, he created a 14-foot, 1,200-pound, lifelike shark submarine called "Troy" that enabled him to immerse himself inside the shark world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Cousteau</span> French diver and cinematographer (1940–1979)

Philippe Pierre Cousteau was a French diver, sailor, pilot, photographer, author, director and cinematographer specializing in environmental issues, with a background in oceanography. He was the second son of Jacques Cousteau and Simone Melchior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Michel Cousteau</span> French oceanographic explorer

Jean-Michel Cousteau is a French oceanographic explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer. The first son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, he is the father of Fabien Cousteau and Céline Cousteau.

The turbosail or French turbovoile is a marine propulsion system using a sail-like vertical surface and a powered boundary layer control system to improve lift across a wide angle of attack. This allows the sail to power the boat in any direction simply by moving a single flap at the back of the sail, unlike conventional sails which have to be continually adjusted to react to changes in the relative wind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Cousteau Jr.</span> American environmental conservationist

Philippe-Pierre Jacques-Yves Arnault Cousteau Jr. is an American oceanographer and environmental activist, the son of Philippe Cousteau and the grandson of Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau has continued the work of his father and grandfather by educating the public about environmental and conservation issues. In 2017, he received an Emmy nomination for hosting the syndicated science series Awesome Planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Cousteau</span> French environmentalist and filmmaker

Alexandra Marguerite Clémentine Cousteau is a filmmaker, sustainability keynote speaker and an environmental activist. Cousteau continues the work of her grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and father Philippe Cousteau. Cousteau advocates the importance of conservation, restoration and sustainable management of ocean and water resources for a healthy planet and productive societies.

<i>Heritage Adventurer</i> Cruise ship

Heritage Adventurer is an ice-strengthened expedition cruise ship built in 1991 by Rauma shipyard in Finland. She was originally named Society Adventurer, but after Discoverer Reederei was unable to take delivery of the vessel due to financial troubles, the completed ship was laid up at the shipyard for almost two years. In 1993, she was acquired by Hanseatic Tours and renamed Hanseatic. In 2018, she was chartered to One Ocean Expeditions and renamed RCGS Resolute through a partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. In 2021, she was acquired by Heritage Expeditions and, following an extensive refit, entered service in 2022 with her current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compagnie maritime d'expertises</span> French offshore diving contractor

COMEX is a French company specializing in engineering and deep diving operations, created in November 1961 by Henri-Germain Delauze and ran by him until his death in 2012.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to wind energy:

Mission 31 was an undersea expedition organized by Fabien Cousteau. It was originally scheduled for November 2013, but was delayed to June 2014. On June 1, Cousteau and six crew members descended to the undersea laboratory Aquarius in the Florida Keys. Halfway through the expedition, three of crew were replaced, as had been planned. After 31 days, Cousteau and the crew ascended on July 2.

Several vessels have been named Alcyone :

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alcyone and Turbosail" (PDF). toledoseaport.org. 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Alcyone". cousteau.org. 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2014.