Granuaile Over Lusitania

The Granuaile is contracted quite often to take on tasks such as the recovery or ships, search for missing persons, towing and lifting operations. All this onto her usual role of servicing lights and lighthouses around the coast of Ireland and also the UK.

In this particular case she is photographed in he role as primary survey vessel for a two hour documentary on the Lusitania which is to be aired on the National Geographic channel in 2012. Kinsale Angling's contractual arrangements prevent discussion of the project so a limited number of photographs are included here.

There is a connection between the Lusitania and Granuaile - Albert Arthur Bestic. This great man of the sea was a 24 year old Junior Third Officer on Lusitania on that fateful day. He commanded one of the ship's collapsible boats and reportedly rescued 12 persons from the water. In later life he was to become captain within Irish Lights. As acting commander he was again lucky to survive the Luftwaffe bombing of the Irish Lights vessel ss ISOLDA which claimed 6 lives and the vessel on the 19/December/1940 off the SE coast. As chief-officer aboard the Orphir, he was involved the the Argonaut Corp. search for the Lusitania wreck - which was eventually successful.Turning to book and article writings when ill-health cut short his first career, he wrote also on the Light Expedition of the Lusitania. His book "Kicking Canvas" of his sea apprenticeship aboard the 3-masted windjammer "Denbigh Castle" is highly recommended. He died 20/December/1962 in Bray, Co.Dublin.

Many thanks to Capt. Dermot Gray for allowing me access to the ship and for so generously giving me a guided tour of her.