The Irish government-owned sail training vessel Asgard II sinks in the Bay of Biscay, about twenty nautical miles southwest of Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, on September 11, 2008. The ship is en route from Falmouth, England to La Rochelle, France for routine maintenance.

Asgard II is a wooden-hulled brigantine commissioned in 1981, purpose-built for Irish sail training under the Department of Defence and Coiste an Asgard, a founding member of Sail Training International. Named after the historic Asgard used in 1914 to smuggle weapons for Irish Volunteers, she has participated in Tall Ships events and transatlantic voyages.

The alarm is raised around 2:30 BST when the vessel begins taking on water rapidly. Captain Colm Newport reports a sudden ingress of water that causes a critical loss of stability. Despite emergency pumps, the flooding is uncontrollable, and the crew and trainees abandon the ship in an orderly evacuation.

Five crew members and twenty trainees (most Irish, but also including Britons and Italians) transfer to life rafts within minutes. The evacuation is completed in about four to five minutes, with all twenty-five people safely moved away from the sinking vessel.

French coastguard vessels, along with assistance from Haldoz and Arklow Venus, rescue everyone. They are taken to a hotel on Belle-Île, where they are cared for and contact their families. The Irish Ambassador to France, Anne Anderson, also arrives to meet them.

The exact cause of the sinking remains unclear. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board finds the vessel well-maintained beyond statutory requirements and no evidence of negligence. One theory, supported by some accounts, is that the ship may have collided with a submerged container, fracturing its keel timbers. However, the captain and officials refuse to speculate.

Plans are made to raise the ship, with an estimated cost of €3.8 million, but by February 2009 the Irish government decides against recovery, citing the risk of further damage from storms and fishing nets. The wreck rests upright on a sandy seabed at about eighty metres depth, with one hull plank damaged.

The loss of Asgard II is a significant blow to Ireland’s sail training tradition, prompting discussions about replacing the vessel.