A Plymouth businessman Connor Johnson reports North Devon Gazette has launched a critical campaign through crowdfunding to raise £400,000 by the end of May to seed the revitalisation of the Appledore shipyard which closed in March.

Mr Johnson says he has an investor company waiting in the wings and willing to put in £4 million if he can raise 10 per cent of the capital needed.

He has launched a gofundme online page and says those who invest a minimum of £100 will receive 100 shares in the new Appledore Shipyard Ltd company he has just created. There are also options to invest £500 or £1,000.

The director of Patriot Yachts International in Plymouth is convinced Appledore has a future as a shipyard and believes there are plenty of opportunities to win contracts in the civilian boat market. 

For further reading click here on the yard that Afloat.ie adds built a quartet of OPV90's (P60 class) ordered by the Irish Government's Department of Defence and servce a career in the Naval Service.  

The shipyard's final ship, L.E. George Bernard Shaw (P64) was last month named and commissioned into the Naval Service at a ceremony held on Waterford City quays. 

A previous pair of the OPV80 (P50 class) were too completed for the Naval Service at the facility near Bideford albeit under different ownership.