Navy could be facing exodus of personnel

A former senior chief petty officer in the Naval Service has said he never thought he would see the day when two ships had to be tied-up indefinitely because of manpower shortages.

Noel ‘Sam’ Fealy, who retired recently after 43-years in the service, has warned that if the Public Service Pay Commission (PSPC) recommendations for increases in allowances for Defence Forces personnel are as low as expected it will trigger the biggest ever exodus of navy personnel in the history of the State.