The Calypso

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The Calypso
Courtesy: Dolphin Log

She's an explorer, an adventurer, a well-worn traveller. Her stories speak of the world's oceans and the creatures that live there. She has sought the secrets of the great rivers and survived storms from the Antarctica to Canada. She is Calypso, the expedition ship known and loved by television audiences all over the globe.

When she was launched during World War II in Seattle, Washington, USA, no one suspected that she would become one of the most famous ships ever to sail the seas. She was built to serve as a minesweeper for the British, to clear explosives from ports and harbours. She was launched on March 21st, 1942 and was named J-826. After the war, she was sold and her name changed to Calypso. She became a ferry, carrying people and cars between the island of Malta and the very small island of Gozo.

Cousteau was dreaming about exploring other seas from a ship especially equipped to document the ocean. Soon he found Calypso. She looked a bit worn, but she was sturdy and easy to manoeuvre. Cousteau began to transform her into an expedition vessel, and a whole new life opened before her. She was struck by a barge in the Bay of Singapore in 1996.

Check that you understand what these words mean in this document
Traveller: someone who goes on a trip or voyage.
To seek (sought in the past tense): to look for.
Minesweeper: a ship that is used to discover if “water bombs” or mines are present and to remove them from the sea.
Harbour: an area of water next to the coast where a ship can shelter.
Sturdy: strong.
To transform: to completely change the appearance of something. 
Vessel: a boat or ship.
Barge: a long flat boat which is used to carry heavy cargo on rivers or canals.

For further information visit:
http://www.dolphinlog.org/
http://www.cousteausociety.org/
http://www.cousteaufoundation.org/
http://www.cousteau.org/