"The Calypso, then known only as BYMS-26, was launched in Seattle, Washington, in 1942. The ship served admirably as a minesweeper in the British Royal Navy during WWII under the designation J-826. After the war, the ship endured a less-than-glamorous stint ferrying passengers and cars between Malta and Gozo. At least it received a new name: Calypso, after the figure in Greek mythology who kept the shipwrecked hero Odysseus enraptured for seven years with vague promises of immortality."
"Then a miracle happened. Guinness told Cousteau to find himself a suitable vessel, and he would put the money up for it. Cousteau visited Malta and chose the Calypso, but he had no idea how he could ever repay the loan. In fact, he did not need to. Guinness generously leased the ship to Cousteau for a mere £1 a year."
The Calypso began life as BYMS-26, launched in Seattle in 1942 and serving as British Royal Navy minesweeper J-826 during WWII. After the war the vessel ferried passengers and cars between Malta and Gozo and was renamed Calypso after the mythological figure. Jacques-Yves Cousteau, co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung and an underwater explorer, sought a ship to bring ocean life to television audiences. Loël Guinness financed and leased the Calypso to Cousteau for £1 per year under conditions of secrecy and no further financial requests. The Calypso sailed from 1951 and served Cousteau for over forty years.
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