Letters to the Editor: Secondhand ships not up to the task for naval service

One of the two Navy Patrol ships is lowered by a crane from the Happy Dynamic general cargo ship at the Deepwater quay in Ringaskiddy, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Recently, the naval service took possession of two ships to work on day-long surveillance patrols in the Irish Sea and off the south east coast.

The naval service does need suitable new ships to undertake its important duties, but these were not ‘new ships’. They were secondhand ships originally built for the New Zealand navy, However, they were found to be unsuitable for use on the high seas or rough sea conditions, and were confined to inshore duties only. If these ships were a mistake for the New Zealand navy then their purchase was arguably a mistake by the Irish Government.