Irish navy returns five turtles to warmer waters after they washed up on west coast

One of the rescued turtles on its way to warmer waters. Picture: Naval Service

Irish naval officers have returned five loggerhead turtles to the wild after the young reptiles washed up on Ireland’s west coast in unprecedented numbers earlier this summer.

Marine experts believe the juveniles were swept from the Cape Verde, off Africa, or the US by a mix of strong winds and marine heatwaves before becoming “cold-stunned” as they drifted into Irish waters.

The turtles — Cleo, Mara, Tony, Knesaii, and Columbus — were carried aboard the LÉ Samuel Beckett in boxes marked with their names during a short quayside ceremony.

The rare reptiles were then taken out to the open ocean and released in warmer waters down towards Spain.

“The crew of LÉ Samuel Beckett were all smiles as they safely loaded the turtles into the ship’s RHIBs, prior to releasing them back into the wild,” said naval press officer Lieutenant Commander Jason O’Brien.

The mission began when Kevin Flannery, marine biologist and founder of Dingle Oceanworld, asked the navy to help return the rescued turtles, which were found at beaches in Kerry, Clare, Galway, and Mayo, to warmer waters.

“The navy was brilliant when we brought them down this week. We are very grateful to them. I would say it's unique to have a naval service release five of them at this point in time," Mr Flannery said.

"They were fascinated with them. One or two of them had dealt with Crogá, another turtle they brought down a few years ago.

“The biggest turtle came in February to Galway, it’s about six or seven years and the four young ones, which came in the summer, are very young, barely two or three years old.

“We’d get an odd one before, but never anything like this." 

At the start of the week, Captain Lieutenant Commander Caroline Scanlon received a full briefing from Mr Flannery, who stressed the turtles should only be freed when the sea reached at least 19–20C.

“The ship’s crew are excited to have these amazing creatures onboard and several sailors volunteered to assist in minding the turtles during the voyage.” she said.

After departing the naval base, engineering staff closely monitored sea temperatures using the ship’s onboard sensors.

Once several consistent readings above 19°C were confirmed, the crew launched the ship’s RHIBs, and one by one, the crew carefully released the turtles back into the ocean.

“All five turtles swam away at speed — strong and eager to continue their journey toward warmer waters”, said a naval officer.