(August 7th 2001)
HMS Tenacity Raised
In May this year the partially scrapped hull of the former fast patrol craft HMS Tenacity was raised from the bottom of Portishead Marina. She now lies on vacant land nearby and will be broken up shortly.
Steve Moores - who served on Tenacity when she first entered service - has visited and photographed the hulk of his former ship.
The vessel, which was served in the Royal Navy between 1971 and 1985, was in the process of being dismantled when she sank.
After being withdrawn from service in 1985, Tenacity had been bought by an overseas millionaire who planned to turn her into a luxury ocean going yacht. She was undergoing conversion at Portishead Docks in 1996 when an explosion at the nearby Albright & Wilson chemical plant brought work to a halt. Despite having been modified internally to accommodate cabins, lounges and a galley and despite being fitted with two new 2,000 horsepower diesel engines and a glass fibre bridge, work on Tenacity was never resumed.
Above: A bow view of Tenacity's hulk. Picture courtesy of Steve Moores.
Above: The hulk of Tenacity seen from the stern. Picture courtesy of Steve Moores.
Above: The hulk of Tenacity awaits breaking up. Picture courtesy of Steve Moores.