Displaying items by tag: Officials: Say Scrap

5th January 2024

Officials from Defence Recommended L.É. Eithne Be Scrapped to Avoid Repeat of ‘L.É. Aisling Situation’ Involving Warlord

Officials at the Department of Defence, reports The Irish Times, advised that the former flagship of the Naval Service be scrapped amid fears of repeating the “LÉ Aisling situation”, as the ex-Naval Service vessel had eventually ended up in the hands of a Libyan warlord.

The flagship designed as a helicopter patrol vessel (HPV) LÉ Eithne which was decommissioned in 2022, is the last Irish naval vessel to be built in Ireland. In addition Afloat highlights the HPV is also historically significant, given it is the final ship ever to be constructed in the Republic.

In an internal briefing of Defence documents on the fate of the former flagship, drawn up for the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin, it had shown officials had argued against its sale at auction. This was in light of what had transpired with the final ‘Emer’ class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) LÉ Aisling, warning it was “entirely possible” such a scenario could reoccur.

In March, 2017, the LÉ Aisling was sold by public auction for €110,000 to a Dutch shipbroker as their Avenhorn and towed to Rotterdam. A year later the OPV was resold to a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for €473,000, which in turn was almost immediately acquired by a company in Libya for €1.3 million.

The former OPV renamed again as Al Karama was however refitted with weapons as Afloat previously reported, having been completely stripped of its weapons prior to being sold by Ireland, was became subject of a report by the United Nations Panel of Experts on Libya. The report found that the 65m vessel had been disposed to a Libyan “warlord”, Khalifa Haftar. This marked a breach of a UN arms embargo by the UAE company.

Once the new role of the former Irish OPV was known and reported, the Department of Defence argued it had no “trailing obligations” in its relationship with the former Naval Service ship, and that the resale of the vessel was a matter for its purchaser.

More from the newspaper here on the LÉ Eithne which had a crew of 86 (9 officers and 77 ratings).

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.