Destriero

Destriero was an Italian motor yacht built by Fincantieri at its Muggiano yard in La Spezia and launched in 1991 for a single purpose, to cross the Atlantic faster than any vessel before her. She was about 67 metres long and 13 metres wide with a displacement of roughly 400 tons, and three GE Aviation LM1600 gas turbines delivered 60,000 horsepower in total, enough for a maximum speed of 110 kilometres per hour. She was built with the sponsorship of the Aga Khan IV and others to win the Blue Riband. In 1992 she crossed the Atlantic twice without refuelling; her eastbound run from Ambrose Light to Bishop Rock covered 3,106 nautical miles in 58 hours, 34 minutes and 5 seconds, an average of 53.09 knots. Because she was classed as a private yacht and not a commercial passenger vessel she was refused the Hales Trophy, but she received the Virgin Atlantic Challenge Trophy and the Columbus Atlantic Trophy. After a decade laid up at Devonport she was scrapped in 2023.