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The Capture of the Marita Ann.

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  • The Capture of the Marita Ann.

    In late September of 1984, the FBI warned the Irish security forces that they could expect a shipment of arms to arrive somewhere on the south-west coast of Ireland, bound for the IRA.
    The Garda very quickly assembled 30 experienced officers and began preparing them for an interception at sea. This anti-terrorist group was put together at Haulbowline Island, and placed under the command of the arresting officer, Inspector Eric Ryan.
    3 ships were then made available for the operation, the LE Deirdre [P20] , LE Emer [P21], and the LE Aisling [P23]. The Deirdra became the reserve ship for the operation while the other 2 were to intercept and capture the arms smuggler.
    Information came from the FBI that the arms were to cross the Atlantic in an American merchant ship and would be transferred to an Irish fishing trawler, somewhere off the south-west in international waters, where Irish forces could not touch them.
    Following earlier surveillance operations the Garda had identified the ship which would be used to land the arms in Ireland, this was the Fenit based Trawler, the Marita Ann, which had left port on 26th September.
    Late on the night of the 27th of September the Marita Ann met up with the American merchant ship, the MV Valhalla, in an area of shallow sea known as Porcupine bank, about 120 miles off the coast of Ireland, where the arms transfer took place. This process, it was later revealed, was being watched by a KHII spy satellite, as it orbited the Earth. The Marita Ann then set off for the coast of Ireland.
    Off the Kerry coast the P21 and P23 waited, blacked out, and under strict electronic emission control. Based on additional information received from British intelligence, the captain of the Emer; Lt-commander Brian Farrell, was able to plot the precise course of the Marita Ann and set up the interception. The Emer moved in on the arms smuggler, concealed by the Skellig rocks. In the very early morning of Saturday the 29th of September, in an amazing feat of seamanship, the crew of the Emer took their ship between the massive, jagged, rock outcrops in heavy seas to confront the Marita Ann.
    The crew of the trawler attempted to escape, but changed their minds as gunfire crossed their bows. As they stopped naval personal and Garda swarmed abord, and the 5 crew were arrested.
    7 tons of arms and explosive were captured, including a Browning .50” heavy machine gun and 1000 rounds of ammunition, 300 American made assault rifles, 50,000 rounds of mixed ammunition and unspecified numbers of pistols, sub-machine guns, pump-action shotguns. And grenades.
    There were also flak jackets, medicines, training manuals and radio equipment.
    While it is obvious that this operation could not have succeeded without the intelligence assets of at least two other nations, it was a huge boost for the Irish Defence forces, and many lives in the northern conflict must have been saved as a result.
    "We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
    Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
    Illegitimi non carborundum

  • #2
    Martin Ferris was the Captain of the Marita Ann. He now sits in Dail Eireann, at our expense. Well done the electorate of North Kerry.
    sigpic
    Say NO to violence against Women

    Originally posted by hedgehog
    My favourite moment was when the
    Originally posted by hedgehog
    red headed old dear got a smack on her ginger head

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    • #3
      why are you practising your typing this info is availavble straight from Tom McGintys book The Irish Navy.......are you about to shed new light on it........yes we all no the Ferris was on the trawler and we all no the L/S on the boarding party who covered him off should have shot him.......so whats new?
      Covid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe

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      • #4
        Murf. I did not write it straight from Tom Mc Gintys[Aidan McIvor's , it was!] book, but I admit it's the main source. The NS , is something that I am only learning about, in common, I suspect, with many other people on this board.
        I wrote the post, to start, what I hope will be a series of stories about the NS, because it was an example of one of their finest hours, and is an incident that is not generally known about.
        No offence was intended, must try harder.
        BTW, turkeys were/are, on offer in a well known supermarket chain at silly prices, you dont have to carry on blasting at me for your christmas dinner!:D
        Last edited by Turkey; 17 November 2003, 11:31.
        "We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
        Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
        Illegitimi non carborundum

        Comment


        • #5
          More of this sort of thing I say..
          Many reports of this incident refer to the arrest by Irish naval Minesweepers...
          I do remember the incident well,amongst other things it introduced the irish defence forces to the 0.5" HMG. Authorities looked at this weapon,and it was widely accepted that the IRA had others,and the decision was made that the defence forces needed a similar weapon. I believe,though it is only speculation,that trials were carried out with the confiscated weapon.


          Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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          • #6
            The .5 was introduced to the DF in 1982.
            sigpic
            Say NO to violence against Women

            Originally posted by hedgehog
            My favourite moment was when the
            Originally posted by hedgehog
            red headed old dear got a smack on her ginger head

            Comment


            • #7
              Still..its a good story....


              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

              Comment


              • #8
                This month's issue of An Cosantoir has an article on the 0.5 HMG. The author gives 1984 as the year of the weapon's introduction into the DF's inventory.
                "The dolphins were monkeys that didn't like the land, walked back to the water, went back from the sand."

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                • #9
                  I thought 1982, but I have been wrong before. I shall bow to Terry McLoughlin's expertise. Having said that, the army wouldn't evaluate the weapon and introduce it all in a couple of months so the Marita Ann being the spur that drove them to buy the .5 is untrue. Instead it was the fact that the army encountered it in Lebanon and had no comparable weapon to counter the plethora deployed by the DFF.:-patriot:
                  sigpic
                  Say NO to violence against Women

                  Originally posted by hedgehog
                  My favourite moment was when the
                  Originally posted by hedgehog
                  red headed old dear got a smack on her ginger head

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    The Marita Annes .5 ended up on the Deirdre! Yeah I remembered it was McIvors book which is full of inaccuracies.....Try talking to the guys who were actually there ...it was a little less sterile than the books would have you believe.Actually Lt Cdr farrel does a good interview on the subject on the RTE documentary 'Fifty Years of the Irish navy'.

                    On the references to ships .....even Duggans book on the Irish Army still makes reference to corvettes and minesweepers long after their decline.

                    I'm not intentionally basting the traditional bird .........its just that this material is readily available without having to read it hear as well.
                    Covid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe

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                    • #11
                      Request: Marita Ann Information

                      [MOD: Thread Merge]

                      Hi all,
                      Im doing the Leaving Cert this year and one of the subjects I have chosen is History. One of the requirements for L.C History is that the candidate research and write an extended essay on a topic of their choice.
                      I have already completed an essay on the Cork Harbour tragedy and Ive been given the go-ahead by my Teacher but I need a certain number of sources to prove an accurate account which I'm finding difficult.
                      I've decided to research the Seizure of the Marita Ann because I think its a milestone event in the history of the Naval Service but it also suits my interest in Nautical matters. So what I'm asking is does anyone know of any sources relating to the seizure such as Books, Websites etc..I have read Tom McGintys book and I know it deals with the subject but judging from the rest of the book Im leaning towards the probability that its a load of bs.

                      I've already searched IMO and i know theres a thread on the seizure but its kind of turned into a flamewar against McGinty..

                      All Help is greatly appreciated.

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                      • #12
                        Ah the good old LC history project. I did mine on the end of the High Seas Fleet...
                        Meh.

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                        • #13
                          Contact Master at Arms office on the Naval Base. They will steer you towards the Naval Museum Curator. Might be some Lit. there
                          As always, too many christians and never enough lions.

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                          • #14
                            Try ringing the Military Archives.

                            FYI-You may find it hard to get access to information due to the 30 year rule.

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                            • #15
                              What are you looking for exactly? I have lots of Newspaper cuttings from the event.


                              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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