Crew rescued a total of 3,377 migrants

The migrants would not take the mushroom and vegetable soup the crew dished up to them, as they were suspicious of what was in it. So the naval service was forced to improvise quickly.

That wasn’t easy because there were so many different nationalities rescued.

Many had religious beliefs which didn’t allow them to consume certain foods.

Instead, it was decided to give the migrants a pasta or rice dish with vegetables. They were given a meal every four to six hours.

Throughout the 22 rescue operations LÉ Eithne undertook, her crew dispensed 330kg of vegetables, 1,320kg of pasta, 440kg of rice, 12,000 high-energy biscuits, and 33,000 litres of water to the rescued migrants.

Fortunately, the naval ship is equipped with its own desalination plant, which can produce 8,000 litres of fresh water per day.

The crew also dispensed 200 nappies, while children were also given crayons and colouring books to keep them occupied.

After the migrants were disembarked to ports or other ships, the crew used an estimated 440 litres of cleaning fluid (similar to Milton) on the decks and toilets of the vessel.

The crew also went through 1,260 personal protection suits during their nine weeks in the Mediterranean Sea.

During the course of the mission, they made two transfers of migrants to the British navy’s massive amphibious ship HMS Bulwark.

They also dropped migrants off at the Sicilian ports of Palermo, Messina, and Catania, plus one drop-off at the Italian mainland port of Taranto.

In total, they rescued 3,377 migrants. The busiest 48 hours came on June 28/29 when the LÉ Eithne picked up 1,240 people.

All the crew of LÉ Eithne will enjoy two weeks’ leave while the ship undergoes routine maintenance.