The impressive 65-metres long tall ship Danmark was assisted on the final stretch of her journey to Dublin by a Dublin Port pilot and the tug Shackleton early on Friday.
As Afloat reported earlier, after a nine-day voyage from Frederikshavn in Denmark, STV Danmark anchored in Dublin Bay on Thursday prior to her journey up the River Liffey as our pictures illustrate.
The 88-year old vessel, sailing under the flag of Denmark, is a fully equipped sail training vessel and weighs over 790 tons. She has an overall length with a beam of 32 feet (9.8 m) and a depth of 17 feet (5.2 m).
Manoeuvres in the comparatively tight surroundings of the river required Dublin Port to carry out a careful evaluation of the draft of the vessel in relation to the depth of water available, the expected weather plus tidal streams before working out what Port resources to allocate.
(Above and below) Having assessed the risks in the manoeuvring capabilities of the vessel and the accessibility of her berth, the Harbourmaster and pilots decided one tug, the Shackleton, should accompany STV Danmark up the Liffey Photos courtesy: Finbar Harding
The tug in this case, on the pilot's orders, and driven by tugboat diver Finbar Harding, would act as a brake if required as the ship approaches the East Link bridge and when approaching the berth. The tug also assisted in swinging the ship parallel to the berth.
Typically, the tug pushes the ship onto the berth, keeping the ship alongside until the ship's crew have made the mooring lines fast.
The full-rigged ship is owned by the Danish Maritime Authority.
Sail training voyages are offered onboard the vessel, not only to Danes but also to those of any nation interested in learning the basics of seamanship on a large sailing vessel.
The ship was one of the vessels that were used during the filming of the British BBC TV series Onedin Line (1971-1980).
