Tall Ship Astrid Sinks After Hitting Rocks

Twenty-three teenagers and seven adult crew members have been rescued after a tall ship struck rocks off the Irish coast.

The Astrid, which takes groups of aspiring sailors on training voyages around the world, lost power in its engine, leaving the crew helpless to save it from being tossed onto the rocky shoreline.

Lifeboats scrambled from across Co Cork and arrived within 30 minutes to help rescue the 23 teenagers and seven crew.

Two Irish Coast Guard helicopters were also deployed to the scene in response to the mayday call.

The Astrid was one of 50 vessels taking part in a flotilla-style five-mile journey from Oysterhaven to Kinsale as part of Ireland's 2013 Gathering initiative.

As it started to sink around 12pm, the crew assembled on deck to await rescue.

Eighteen of the crew were rescued and taken back to Kinsale harbour in another vessel taking part in the event - the Spirit of Oysterhaven, with the remainder being ferried to land in a lifeboat.

RNLI crews reported that some of those rescued were in a very shocked state.

Crew members were medically assessed at Kinsale Yacht Club and none required hospital treatment.

The trainees on board the Astrid came from Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Belgium.

Ineke de Kam owns the ship with her husband Pieter, 62. He was captaining the vessel during the incident.

"I spoke with him on the phone and he's okay," she said.

"All the people are safe and that is very important - the crew and all the trainees are safe.

"But, everything is lost. We cannot believe it.

"He was using the small motor and it would not start and then he put all the sails up, but it was too late, he was on the rocks.

"Then he called the Coast Guard and they arrived in time to help and everyone is safe."

Vincent O'Donovan from the RNLI said: "That is a very rocky part of the coastline, there is a famous old shipwreck that lies in that area, it is a place inaccessible by land.

"It was very hairy, anything could have gone wrong, if the liferafts were blown onto the rocks it could have been very serious."

The drama is likely to mark the final chapter in the Astrid's already colourful history.

Built in the Netherlands in 1918 as a cargo ship, the vessel was transferred into Swedish ownership and worked Baltic sea trade routes until 1975.

After another sale the ship was alleged to have fallen into the hands of drug smugglers.

She was found abandoned and burnt to a shell off the coast of England in the early 1980s. A salvage operation saved her then and she was transformed into a training vessel for young people.

Mr and Mrs de Kam bought the ship around seven years ago.