The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell

Free: Mr Allen offered the Octopus for the expedition at no cost to the government

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell: Billionaire Offers To Fund Recovery So That It Can Be A Memorial To 1,415 Crew Who Drowned When Warship Was Sunk By The Bismarck In 1941 -- Daily Mail

A US billionaire has offered to lead an operation to recover the bell of the sunken battle cruiser HMS Hood, which was sunk in 1941 and killed 1,415 men, for free.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said US philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G Allen has offered his private yacht be used in the search to recover the bell at no cost to it.

HMS Hood, which was a state-of-the-art vessel for its time, is the largest Royal Navy vessel to have been sunk, causing the biggest loss of life suffered by any single British warship.

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My Comment: Kudos to Paul Allen for doing this.

More Massive Yachts Have Arrived In London For The Olympics (Photo Gallery)

UPDATE: Even More Massive Yachts Have Arrived In London For The Olympics -- Business Insider

Update: Our friends at Boat International sent over a bunch of additional photos of superyachts docked in London for the Olympic games. We have added them to the slideshow.

The real high-rollers didn't have to think twice about booking a room in overcrowded London during the Olympic Games—they just docked their megayachts in East London's Canary Wharf.

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Super Yachts At The London Olympics

Super-Yachts Crowd London's Docks for Games -- CNBC

East London may be a far cry from Monaco or St Tropez, but the international rich are gliding into the capital's poorest area for the Olympic Games on what looks like a gathering fleet of multi-million-dollar superyachts.

Seven gleaming giants, the biggest of which is 126 metres (413 ft) long, dominate the impeccably kept South Quay of East London's West India Docks, where daily moorings cost up to 9,000 pounds a day, a third of the average U.K. annual wage.

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Editor: For more photos of superyachts docked in London .... go here.

Building A UK Flagship

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
'Lust for adventure': An artist's impression of the proposed UK flagship, which is gathering growing support from senior ministers

Flagship Shows The Nation's Lust For Adventure: Ministers Salute Mail's Plan For Iconic Vessel -- Daily Mail

* Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Education Secretary Michael Gove among MPs behind privately-funded project

Crucially, the 650ft, four-masted UK Flagship will not be funded by taxpayers’ money, instead drawing on donations from businesses, philanthropists and the public.

Mr Clegg said: ‘This is directly in line with Britain’s proud naval tradition which stretches back hundreds of years. Our country has always been at the forefront of trade, exploration and scientific research and the UK Flagship can help us to continue to be so.

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My Comment: Impressive .... and at 650 ft .... a big boat.

The Super Yachts In London For The Olympics

Luxury craft owned by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, among those moored in London.

Billionaires Are Docking Their Super Yachts In London Ahead Of The Olympics -- Business Insider

They are some of the most magnificent and expensive vessels in the world and this weekend they started arriving in London as the world’s global CEOs brought a touch of glitz and glamour to the capital in time for the Olympics.

The Ilona, a super-yacht owned by Frank Lowy, the co-founder of the shopping centre group Westfield, has moored in Canary Wharf, not far from the company’s new retail complex in Stratford. The vessel has been joined by the Octopus, the 414ft luxury craft owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

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My Comment: This is better than renting a hotel room .... and you are smack in the middle of it all.

Invasion Of The Super-Yachts For The London Olympics

Octopus, the £130m super-yacht of Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, enters South Dock in the Canary Wharf the weekend before the games begin.

Invasion Of The Super-Yachts: They've Got Swimming Pools, Helipads And Even A Mini-Submarine. How The World's Mega-Rich Are Turning London Into A Floating Olympic Playground -- Daily Mail

This could be Monaco, or an exclusive resort on the Med as the world’s most lavish superyachts jostle for space. Their perfectly scrubbed decks bristle with security guards, while hot tubs bubble and helipads wink at the sky.

This is the playground of billionaires, oligarchs and A-list celebs. There are rumours that Roman Abramovich’s sumptuous $1billion boat will arrive tomorrow.

At 557ft, the Russian tycoon’s Eclipse is the largest private yacht in the world. It has two swimming pools, two helipads, a dedicated disco hall, 30 cabins, a cinema, a mini-submarine, and even its own missile defence system. Abramovich’s master suite is armour-plated and protected by bullet-proof windows and a laser system designed to dazzle long-lens photographers.

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My Comment: Here is an easy prediction .... the best Olympic parties will be on these yachts.

The Boat Of The Future

Screenshot via Rove Projects

Prize-Winning Architect Zaha Hadid Is Designing The Boat Of The Future -- Business Insider

Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid is designing a sleek, futuristic boat for Rove Projects, and it could be yours for just under $457,000.

The boat, dubbed the Z-Boat, is a limited edition, 24.6-foot-long fiberglass watercraft designed for both looks and power, according to a Forbes article.

Rove's Kenny Schachter reportedly hired French company Shoreteam to produce 12 Z-Boats, which will be released to the public in 2013.

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My Comment: This is a boat built for speed.