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On October 6, 2007, a
celebration was organised in Athens, Greece, by Lloyd's Register of
Shipping and the owners of the yacht M/Y "Madiz", to commemorate a unique
event in the history of shipping, the award of a Lloyd's Register class certificate to a
steel vessel, 105 years after its construction. Madiz, a classic steel yacht, was built in 1902 by Ailsa Shipbuilding Co., on the River Clyde, Scotland, to Lloyd's Register class notation 100A1. She was classed almost continuously by Lloyd's Register from 1902 until 1975. Starting in 2004, she underwent a 30 month refit in Greece, 17 months of which was spent in drydock, to restore her to the highest standards and prepare her for many years of future safe operation. She was re-classed with Lloyd's Register in 2006 Today Madiz is the oldest surviving steel vessel to be classed with Lloyd's Register. She was designed by G. L. Watson, the pioneering yacht designer, who created the first design office exclusively for yachts and was responsible for some of the most successful Americas' Cup yachts. She is said to be one of the last yachts to have been designed by him personally. Madiz was built at Troon, on the river Clyde, Scotland, and is today the oldest remaining active seagoing vessel to have come out of that famous shipbuilding industry where, in the 1900's, almost 25% of all ships in the world were being built. During the world wars she served as a patrol yacht, having been requisitioned by the British Admiralty. She was used mainly for anti-submarine duties and from 1942 as a calibrating yacht during the development of HF/DF (High Frequency Direction Finder, known as 'Huff-Duff'), which played a decisive role in the winning of the Battle of the Atlantic. In July 1945 she was chosen to take the British Royal family, the consisting of HRH King George VI, HRH Queen Elizabeth and HRH Princess Elizabeth, on a Victory Tour to Londonderry. Up to now she has never been chartered or otherwise used for commercial purposes by its current owners, except for the filming of Agatha Christie's Poirot episode, Problem at Sea. She is an elegant, good looking vessel and retains much of her original deck equipment and unique panelling, such as the original Burma teak on much of the deck, all the original deck's side panelling, the original Cuban solid mahogany in the master bedrooms and the solid oak panelling in the reception areas. Madiz has had many owners and names during her long and illustrious history. Since 1968 she belongs to a private party from Greece. Christie's of London once called her "as rare as a Rembrandt" She is a prime example that ships do not die of old age but of neglect. If a vessel is loved by its owners and taken care of properly, there is no reason its can't live forever. |
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