The Calypso

L’Elie Monnier had served Jacques Cousteau well for four years, but now it was getting crowded and too small for all the equipment necessary for dives. Cousteau wanted a bigger ship and sent multiple requests for another vessel from the French Navy. He was however shot down each time.

Amazingly, Simone remembered a conversation the Cousteaus had with a British family back in 1940s about a shared love for the ocean. They had agreed to stay in contact after the war in case they needed assistance, and Simone had kept their numbers well. The Cousteaus were introduced to Loel Guinness, a wealthy businessman from Ireland, who wanted to help Cousteau and his team fulfill their dreams of ocean exploration after hearing how far they had come. Guinness simply told Cousteau to walk into a shipyard selling cheap post-war battleships, and pick the one he wanted. He would loan the ship for a pound a year to Cousteau on 2 conditions. One was that Cousteau could never tell anyone who paid for the ship, and that he could never come to Guinness for money ever again. Cousteau was shocked at Guinness’ generosity, but now, he had his ship.

Calypso

The ship that caught Cousteau’s eye was a minesweeper warship that belonged to the British Royal Navy, and was used primarily as a ferryboat about the war. It had a bigger and lower deck, which was suitable for diving, and large rooms for storage. He named it Calypso, after the nymph in Greek mythology. The ship would be given a fresh coat of paint, new fittings, and a a sea nymph and dolphin would be painted on the chimney of the ship.

Cousteau returned home and took a 3-year leave from the navy to continue his exploration. Dumas who was now free from his military services joined Cousteau. Tailliez however, preferred to stay with the navy, not wanting to be always overshadowed by Cousteau. He would continue to act as commander of the Undersea Research Group, and improving on the design of Piccard’s bathyscaphe.

Facing a lack of funds for his research, Cousteau set up the Campagnes Océanographiques Française, or French Oceanographic Expeditions to obtain grants from the public. The Cousteaus themselves put their house in Toulon on mortgage, and got extra cash from selling some of Simone’s jewelry to refit the ship. A wanderlust herself, Simone did not care for jewelry, but was more excited to finally be able to travel the world again after having to look after their children for the past few years. Also, people who worked with Cousteau during his early archaeology days came forward and wrote him cheques, while Dumas and his friends also contributed to fund the research expeditions.

Calypso‘s crew was made up mostly of family members. Cousteau was captain of the ship, while Simone took care of everyone on board.  Cousteau’s sons, Jean-Michel and Philippe were cabin boys, and Dumas was appointed second in command. Five other men were employed as workers on the ship. As Cousteau readied for his first expedition with Calypso, Cousteau’s mother, Elizabeth passed away due to a stroke. The Cousteaus buried her in a family plot reserved for them years ago, and a week later, Cousteau steered Calypso towards the Red Sea, and left the harbour.