Navy rows in for Chernobyl aid mission

IF the commanders of the Irish Naval Service were to choose a new ensign for the fleet, they could do worse than have it made in the shape of a nappy.

After all, thousands of nappies will be flying the flag on board the LE Roisin next month as part of a humanitarian mission to Chernobyl.

As far as the young crew of the Roisin is concerned, the chance to make a real difference in the lives of children still affected by radiation poisoning was too good to miss. Already tasked to tour the Baltic region, they decided to bring aid to the children of Chernobyl in the Republic of Belarus, the former Soviet state.

“It was all the crew’s idea,” says Lt Cdr Peter Twomey, captain of the Roisin. “We have a patrol to Scandinavia and Russia next month to promote Irish goods and services and we knew we would be arriving in the Latvian capital Riga on September 1. The crew decided to help the Chernobyl Children’s project of Ireland at the same time and I take great pride in the fact they will be giving their own time and effort to such a worthwhile project.”

The Roisin is due to sail into the Gulf of Riga for a stay-over in the Latvian capital and, from there, the ship’s crew will distribute the nappies to Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children’s Project.

“Naval Service vessels undertake supply and reconnaissance missions to overseas peace support operations and participate in foreign deployments in support of Irish trade and diplomacy,” says a Defence Forces spokeswoman. “It is customary for these visits to include a humanitarian element.”

Captain Twomey, from Castleisland, Co Kerry, agrees, explaining that the nappies are hugely important for the well being of Chernobyl children. “The problem is that you cannot buy nappies in Belarus and the authorities there will not allow them to be bought in from abroad, so the only way is through donation like we will be doing.

“This is a very heartening project for all concerned. I am immensely proud of each one of the crew whose average age is 21. It is extraordinary for me to work with these young people who are prepared to raise money and give so much to benefit children they will never even get to see. It is a real act of great generosity. It is in the best traditions of the navy, indicative of the morale of the crew and shows the spirt of camaraderie on board. ”

That camaraderie will be physically tested next Saturday when all the crew, along with naval commander Commodore Mark Mellett take part in a rowathon to raise money to buy the container load of nappies.

Running from 10am to 6pm, it takes place on dry land, using a static rower, outside Brown Thomas on Patrick Street in Cork.

The crew of the Roisin will row a distance of 385 miles, the equivalent distance from Malin to Mizen head and, coincidentally, roughly the same distance from Riga to Belarus.

Adi Roche yesterday launched the charity event on board the Roisin at the Haulbowline Naval Base.