# shearwater



## humbertug

in the early 80s i was in 2 diving support ships out of Aberdeen the shear water sapphire and the aqua marine dose anyone know what happened to them ?


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## Geoff_E

The Sapphire went to India in the mid '80's, sold to Essar Shipping I think. There is an Aquamarine still around, don't know if it's the same one. It was being run by the Norwegian company DSND until fairly recently.

I seem to remember that the Sapphire was similar to Deepwater I, now Rockwater I.


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## Pat McCardle

Aquamarine now Bibby Aquamarine, see gallery special purpose vessels


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## RayJordandpo

Aquamarine or now 'Bibby Aquamarine' as Pat quite rightly says is still on the go, I saw her in Aberdeen recently. I believe she is on charter to Acergy (ex Stolt) I remember her some years ago working out of Malaysia under the name of 'Black Gold Aquamarine' crewed I think by Denholm Offshore. Shearwater (now there's a blast from the past) has long gone. Shame they were nice ships.


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## stuart(diver)

Aquamarine is a Bibby line boat, with ISS from Aberdeen doing the diving work from her for the last few years- there seems to be a bit of a tie in between Bibby and ISS. The Sapphire appears to be still working as a DSV in India as the Peerless Stena II. I would guess she was the same design as the Rocky 1/2


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## stuart(diver)

After a quick look, it seems that the Sapphire is now the SEAMAC 2, working in the gulf o mexico for technip.


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## Rennie Cameron

Just to fill in the space, there was also the sister the Topaz. She also went to India. The Deepwater 1 and 2 were upgraded sisters and the Energy Searcher the best of the bunch. DW's became the Rockwaters and the E/S went to the Swedish Navy. All were the designs of Midland and Scottish. The helidecks were raised on the ships after the Shearwater vessels were buit. This was a retrofit on the DW 1 as she was standing still on her first trip to the Brae Field! Cranes have changed, bits have been stuck in but look the same! Hope that fills in a few bits. Geoff Guest former MD of Shearwater in still going at about 80!


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## gdynia

Peter
Thers a photo of the Sapphire now Seamac 2 in my gallery. I was onboard her last week at the Akal Field offshore Mexico where she is on a Pemex Charter. She is owned by the Indians


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## RayJordandpo

Rennie Cameron said:


> Just to fill in the space, there was also the sister the Topaz. She also went to India. The Deepwater 1 and 2 were upgraded sisters and the Energy Searcher the best of the bunch. DW's became the Rockwaters and the E/S went to the Swedish Navy. All were the designs of Midland and Scottish. The helidecks were raised on the ships after the Shearwater vessels were buit. This was a retrofit on the DW 1 as she was standing still on her first trip to the Brae Field! Cranes have changed, bits have been stuck in but look the same! Hope that fills in a few bits. Geoff Guest former MD of Shearwater in still going at about 80!


Rennie 
Are you sure it was the Energy Searcher that went to the Swedish Navy or the Energy Supporter? I was on the Supporter in Brazil (I was employed by Denholms) she was owned by the Italian company SANA and registered in Roma, crewed by mainly Italians with French divers from Comex. If it is the same ship she was the same design as the Rockwater boats but I believe about eight metres longer, built by De Hoop of Holland. A very fine dive support vessel indeed, I heard she was later sold to the Swedish Navy as some sort of submarine tender.
Ray Jordan


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## stuart(diver)

...now named HMS belos


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## Rennie Cameron

Morning Ray....yep youre right, Supporter. Yes she was the best. I was onboard with Midland and Scottish, when she arrived - with well decorated Italian officers! Did Denholms take over from them?
SANA was (by any other name) a Midland and Scottish company. They also built the rig in Fincantieri (the one which sunk down Brazil). Cant recall the name and previous to that had some little psv running out of Abz.
The Supporter as you will recall had two cranes whereas the others (at that time) only had one. The extra length and the new helideck design I thought made her better looking. I understand after she went to Sweden she was being overhauled when the Estonia went down. Being built in Holland for Italian owners she enjoyed subsidies. Trust you are well.


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## RayJordandpo

*Energy Supporter*

Hi Rennie
Denholms were supplying DPO's to any company that required them, just supply and demand I suppose. The guy running the show for SANA was an Italian, an ex diver who lived in Aberdeen for many years whilst diving in the North Sea. He was a really nice guy but for the life of me I can't remember his name. The Captain was from Dubrovnik and the poor sod had his house blown up during the troubles there. As you rightly say the Supporter was a fine ship, I saw her on TV just a few days ago on a program about submarines and as Stuartdiver rightly says is now named 'Belios'
Take care
Ray Jordan


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## Ian

humbertug said:


> in the early 80s i was in the shear water sapphire dose anyone know what happened to them ?


I was Contract Manager of the Sapphire job in Bass Strait 83/84. Worked well although the UK Shore and Offshore Dive Management was atrocious. No management experience, all good friends together, and out to show the colonials how it should be done.

We were glad to be rid of the ship.


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## Rennie Cameron

An update guys - one of them had a bad fire recently and had to go in to Curacao. She is back working.


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## gdynia

Rennie Cameron said:


> An update guys - one of them had a bad fire recently and had to go in to Curacao. She is back working.


Rennie

It was Seamac 2 and 4 or 5 Welders were killed inside a tank whilst getting repaired


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## Bossebus

Update on Energy Supporter/HMS Belos:
Nowadays she´s got 4 cranes(100tonnes-5tonnes) and 2 A-frames(60tonnes and 5tonnes), 1 diving system, 2 permanent ROV-systems and are operating for the Swedish Navy. She made a major overhaul in 2005 at Gotaverken Shipyard in Gothenburg. Have a look at(it´s in swedish, but some pictures): http://www.1ubflj.mil.se/article.php?id=1355

Anybody here that got some pictures on Belos sisters?

Take care!


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## Rennie Cameron

Bossebus there are a lot around but I dumped all the old brochures about 6 months ago. They have changed substnatially in some cases. You are looking for Rockwater 1 and 2 and the Topaz and Sapphire (ex Shearwater) mentioned above. They got better as they went along! The Rockwater 2 (ex Deepwater 2) was the first of these two to have the helideck raised a deck during build.....I recall the battle well. The Supporter was built to that spec. Its a long story and in most parts well known but I am sure the photos over the years and probaly here will tell the story


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## big_jock

I cannot answer the question of what happened to them. If I may ask a question, did you know my father David Lawrence. He worked on the Aquamarine early eighties.


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## nigelliz

*Bibby Aquamarine update*

Latest information on Aquamarine, she was handed over from Bibby to Marine Engineering Diving Services UAE (MEDS) in October last year (2011). MEDS have renamed her "ALTUS EXERTUS", cleaned her up and she is still looking good and working well in Iraqi waters. I was fortunate to have worked on her for Bibby for 6 years and I'm now back on her for MEDS. 
See newest photos on MEDS UAE website.


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## stuart(diver)

*Wilkinson’s swords*

Unfortunately, after spending quite a bit on her and tidying her up, MEDS went the way of most dive companies, with the sad knock on of the fondly remembered ‘Aqua=latrine’ going for razor blades. (She had been renamed ‘Altus Exertus’)

They also had the old Harrier (interesting boat), renamed Altus Optimus. No idea what is happening to her.

The recent run on new tonnage is quite sad for some old ladies...since the beginning of the downturn, I can think of the Orelia, Bar Protector, Discovery, Osprey, Rocky 2 (I think the Rocky 1 is dead but still floating in leith) to go with all the ones like the Rocky 1, dead but floating such as the old Stephaniturm, Alliance, uncle John (and the semis) witch queen, ragno due, toisa puma...

New boats are usually safer, more comfortable, better systems etc. But you can’t help but bet nostalgic for these old warriors...so many trials and tribulations overcome over the years, only to have your guts ripped out your side by an Indian with a gas axe...


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