RMAS Lodestone

RMAS Lodestone (A115) was a Magnet-class Royal Navy degaussing ship. She was completed in 1980 by the Clelands Shipbuilding Company.[1]

RMAS Lodestone alongside (behind) HMS Speedy (P296) in 1982

The Magnet-class was developed to replace the Ham-class minesweepers that had been converted for degaussing. They are 828 gross tonnage (GT) and have a top speed of 14 knots. They measure 55m x 12m x 4m.[2]

Bleu de Nîmes
Bleu de Nîmes in 2013

In 1997 she was sold to an Italian millionaire and towed initially to Devonport for conversion to a luxury yacht,[3] the Bleu de Nîmes (IMO 7813913).[4]

The extensive rebuild in Turkey was completed in 2005. Another rebuild in Italy completed in 2020 increased her length by 16 metres to 72.25 metres (237 ft).[5]

In February 2022 she was chartered by the government of Mauritius for a fifteen day expedition to the Chagos Archipelago following international court rulings that Mauritius is sovereign there.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. "Lodestone". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  2. Mike Crichley (1982). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 97.
  3. "Ships Monthly". 33. Endlebury Publishing Company. 1998: 17. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Bleu de Nimes (ex Lodestone)". yachtspotter.com. 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  5. Merl, Risa (19 October 2021). "Bleu de Nîmes: The 72m navy ship that became a superyacht". Boat International. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  6. Bowcott, Owen; Rinvolucri, Bruno (13 February 2022). "Mauritius measures reef hoping to lay claim on Chagos Islands". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. Bowcott, Owen; Rinvolucri, Bruno (20 February 2022). "Chagossian exiles celebrate emotional return as UK tries to justify control". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
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