What is the latest news about the Calypso (Cousteau's boat)?

as for how much will be original ......I restore American muscle cars sometimes not starting wit a lot ..I knew a guy who once "restored" a front cowl with a serial number ...so who's to say it not the calypso
?????????????

 

I wouldn't be so much concerned with how much will be "original" - the DSV Alvin was built in 1964 and I think the last original component (the robotic arm) was replaced in 2006 if not earlier. What concerns me is that to date the organization that owns Calypso has not shown a good track record of conserving the ship and executing restoration plans.

 

its a figure head and I think they want it repaired as cheaply as possible to maximize profit to tour it ...it seems to be all about greed not ultraistic means of preservation if I could win 60 mil in a loterery I would buy it and get it done in a year ...alas dreaming

 

I fear you hit the problem right on the button... I know of, at least, 2 appeals to the public in France to raise money for the (so called) restoration of the Calypso, one of them did involve the FFESSM (French Diving Federation, for those wondering what it is), but never heard of anything done to the ship with the funds. Sad...

 

It might just stay in Turkey unfortunately

 

I dunno man.

Older wooden ships are still sailing: USS Constitution - Wikipedia

 

Cost close to a million dollars to restore her, in 1925 dollars. Another 12 million in 1995. And she was not built of pine.

 

I'm sure her restoration was much more thorough even.

She was shot-up with tons of cannonballs, constant replacement of wood and beam through out her service life.

But! It can be done

 

Apart from the hull woodwork, what else in the Calypso needs replacing? I suspect that it may be easier to build a new ship from scratch?

I wonder how many times Cousteau or his crew checked what was happening to the Calypso's wooden hull under its paint?

 

According to a book I have on Calypso, they did a large restoration back in the early 80s which lead to the issue of the “Friends of Calypso” wood fragment paperweights to help finance the restoration.