#AislingAuction – The Galway city councillor who proposed the decommissioned Naval patrol ship Aisling be retained by the State has said he is “very disappointed” that it is to be auctioned next month, writes The Irish Times.
The ship is best known for apprehending the gun-running trawler Marita Ann and recovering bodies of the Air India disaster.
Former deputy mayor and Fine Gael councillor Pearce Flannery said it could have been transformed into a museum.
The Aisling, no longer a “long Eireannach”, since its decommissioning (in Galway docks) last June, is due to be sold on the State’s behalf by Cork auctioneer Dominic Daly on March 23.
One of four Naval Service ships to be built at Verolme Cork Dockyard, it went into service in 1980. It was involved in some of the most dramatic episodes in recent maritime history, including the apprehension of the Marita Ann with guns for the IRA in 1984.
For more as previously reported by the newspaper click here.