Tom MacSweeney:Farewell to two crafts that did state no little service on seas

THERE is something particularly sad about seeing ships towed away to be broken up.

With them go tradition, seafaring memories and much more. They have been floating homes for their crews, often assailed by hostile seas as they serve the nation.

It is particularly poignant to see naval vessels, which had the responsibilities of national maritime security and protection, hauled away when they have been called to help others in maritime distress. They had been tasked to protect the national interest as they sailed the seas around our island nation.

Last Sunday two of them were powerless prisoners bound for a final location – destruction by shipbreaking.

In the beauty of a sunny day, with calm weather in a beautiful-looking Cork harbour, the decommissioned LÉ Orla (P41) and LÉ Ciara (P42) were taken out of their home port for the last time, heading overseas for disposal at a scrap recycling facility. The two Peacock-class patrol vessels had been in the Naval Service since 1989.

Tugs fore-and-aft and the harbour pilot boat escorted the departure forever of the two naval vessels. Officially, they were decommissioned due to age, but they also could not be crewed when withdrawn from service, because of crew-manning problems.

Government policy towards the naval service is an example of failure to prioritise maritime policy.

Recycling is environmentally friendly in shipbreaking. Ireland does not need more controversy about vessel disposal.

This month, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin said: “Ireland is no different to other international militaries who, in a competitive labour market, are also experiencing personnel difficulties.”

The current situation in the naval service, I understand, is that 68 personnel joined last year. The mandatory retirement age was increased to 60 years and the recruitment age barrier to 39. The official view is that salary and allowance increases have been granted to personnel and key roles are being recruited internationally.

Ship maintenance has been outsourced. But there are still personnel leaving. Naval administration, I am told, could have done more to encourage Irish seafarers with international experience to join.

Government and naval officially say that “operations were reconfigured last August,” so that two ships would be on patrol at any time, with a third on standby.

Unofficially, my information is that, effectively, there is only one ship immediately available.

“Ten years ago we had eight ships available for patrolling. We have been neglected and disregarded. Official statements do not tell the full story,”

I was told by a naval service staffer who, understandably, did not wish to be named.

There are suggestions that three ships could be available at some stage later this year.

Apology called for to Betelgeuse families

Solicitor Michael Kingston, who represents the French/Irish Association of Relatives and Friends of the Betelgeuse, has written to new Taoiseach Simon Harris following a State apology to the Stardust families, saying that it has not engaged “in any meaningful way with the families of the Whiddy Island disaster who are enduring eternal torture”.

In his letter this week he said that has been “45 years, three months and 14 days” since the disaster in which his then 31-year-old father was one of 50 ship’s crew and terminal staff who died in the tragedy when the tanker Betelgeuse exploded at the Whiddy Island oil terminal on January 8, 1979.

“We are ignored time and again. The association has disputed the outcome of the July 1979 inquest into the tragedy and for some time, fresh inquests have been requested by the families of the victims, who died in atrocious circumstances.

“The families of those who died are steadfast in their pursuit of justice and are not going away. You should, on behalf of this State, meet with the Whiddy Island families as a matter of urgency and in that meeting deliver news that fresh inquests have been ordered.”

The sun and the wind

Tom Baldwin lives in the Cork harbour area and has had a lifetime of experience of electricity generation, in Ireland and internationally, for the ESB.

His family have longtime maritime experience, including in the fishing industry. He emails me often with observations about ‘energy renewables’ and did so on Monday, after examining the impact of the Sunday’s first good weather day after a period of storms and windy weather.

“I have often tried to tell politicians and Irish media that large-scale generation of electricity from wind during some periods won’t matter a damn if there are days when there might be an Eirgrid shortage of electricity when there may be little or no electricity from all the various sources, leading to power cuts across Ireland.

“It seems the Irish government has no plan to cater for such an eventuality! I did a private ‘audit’ of the situation when the sun had gone down and a supply from solar PV had caused, the so-called ‘renewables’ quota to the Irish N-Grid to from 14% to 6% of Eirgrid’s El supply sources.”

He has sent his findings to the Taoiseach and senior government ministers.

• Catch up with maritime developments on The Maritime Podcast.

• Email: tommacsweeneymarine@gmail.com