Skeleton naval crew maintaining LÉ Aisling as fate of vessel undecided

Naval Service personnel are being kept occupied maintaining a decommissioned ship as the Government remains undecided about its future.

A skeleton crew has been maintaining the LÉ Aisling’s engines, pumps and other equipment since she was decommissioned on June 20 last after 36 years of service, during which she arrested the IRA gun-running ship Marita Ann.

They will, however, have to keep maintaining the vessel which clocked up in excess of 628,000 nautical miles — an equivalent of circumnavigating the globe 32 times — in the event of it being auctioned.