HMS Bulldog (A317)

HMS Bulldog was one of four Bulldog class hydrographic survey ships of the Royal Navy. She was built by the yacht builder Brooke Marine and launched in 1968.

Displacing just 1088 tons and managing a top speed of just 15 knots, the ship was known for both her attractive lines and excellent sea keeping. Her pennant number was originally A317 but this was changed in 1998 along with that of other survey ships to an H-prefix (for Hydrographic &mdash; S for survey already being in use for submarines) to emphasise that they were survey ships rather than naval auxiliaries. She was finally decommissioned on 26 July 2001. She was sold in August 2001 for conversion into a luxury yacht. She was damaged in a fire in May 2004 whilst at Nelson, New Zealand and the conversion was not completed.