LÉ Deirdre (P20)

LÉ Deirdre (P20) was a ship in the Irish Naval Service. She was named after Deirdre, a tragic heroine from Irish mythology who committed suicide after her lover's murder.

Deirdre was built as a replacement for the Ton-class minesweepers. She was to have longer range and be a more seaworthy ship for work in the Atlantic. Deirdre became the prototype for the later Emers.]

Notably, Deirdre was one of the vessels involved in the 1979 Fastnet race rescue operations, assisting the crews of two yachts - the SV Regardless of Cork and the SV Silver Apple of Howth.

Deirdre was sold at public auction for IR£190,000. She was purchased by the English yacht chartering company Seastram International for conversion into luxury charter yacht Tosca IV. Speaking on the radio, a Seastram spokesman appeared pleased with their bargain as they had been prepared to bid up to IR£500,000. The auction starting price had been IR£60,000.

The conversion in a Polish shipyard was not completed as the English owner died. In 2007 she was towed to Brazil for further refit and completion. Substantially complete she arrived at Jacksonville, Florida in September 2012 for final outfitting as Santa Rita I.