Lot 14: John Ryan (1929-1999) The Asgard II on her Maiden

John Ryan (1929-1999) The Asgard II on her Maiden Voyage Oil on canvas, 50 x 60cms (20 x 24") Signed Provenance: Abbeville, Kinsealy The Asgard II was commissioned by the Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey on 7th March 1981. She was designed and built by Jack Tyrell of Arklow. Asgard II was 87 feet long and displaced 120 tonnes. She was brigantine rigged and carried over 4000 square feet of sail. She accommodated five permanent crew and twenty trainee berths. Due to an unexplained freak accident the Asgard II sank on 11th September 2008 in the Bay of Biscay while undertaking a routine trip from Falmouth to La Rochelle. All crew and trainees had abandoned the vessel after she started taking on water. It was hoped that the ship would be raised from where she rests 80 metres under water on a sandy seabed but these hopes were dashed when the minister announced that she would not be raised on 23rd Feb 2009. This picture depicts the Asgard II on her maiden voyage passing the Horseshoe buoy off Bray Head.