LÉ Eithne - year identification help

[MJW]

Hello there,
I am an Irish artist/filmmaker currently working on a project that involves video footage I made when I was much younger. It is very important that I place a date on it and thought some of you might be able to help.

The footage is of the lovely LÉ Eithne (P31) as she approaches Dun Laoghaire harbour and docks. There are quite a few civilians along with Fire Brigade waiting which would make me think there was a problem. I reckon it was late 80's early 90's. I had a look at the Irish Times online but no luck.

If you have any suggestions/comments whatsoever I would be very grateful. I have attached two stills where you can see the Fire Brigade on board.

Many thanks,
Michael

[blaisec]

There are two possibilities for the fire crew. one is a simulated fire fighting exercise, the other is a problem that the Eithne had in the port funnel space. A breather pipe from the port engine terminated in the port funnel, some times a an oily mist formed in the funnel space and gotinto the lagging on the exhuast pipe causing a lot of smoke etc .

[golden rivet]

Hello there,
I am an Irish artist/filmmaker currently working on a project that involves video footage I made when I was much younger. It is very important that I place a date on it and thought some of you might be able to help.

The footage is of the lovely LÉ Eithne (P31) as she approaches Dun Laoghaire harbour and docks. There are quite a few civilians along with Fire Brigade waiting which would make me think there was a problem. I reckon it was late 80's early 90's. I had a look at the Irish Times online but no luck.

If you have any suggestions/comments whatsoever I would be very grateful. I have attached two stills where you can see the Fire Brigade on board.

Many thanks,
Michael

this would have been in the late 80s as we were carrying out fire exercises with dublin fire brigade to simulate a fire on a ferry which was carried out with firemen being winched onboard the ferry by chopper a very worthwhile exercise and good training for all i dont know if it was ever repeated ...

[hptmurphy]

two clues there,

the white life rafts would suggest pre 1989. but the photo is earlier than this as the large 'Yokohama 'fenders , seen on the flight deck,were discarded in 1987 . I would say sometime after february 1987 and before september of the same year.

A breather pipe from the port engine terminated in the port funnel, some times a an oily mist formed in the funnel space and gotinto the lagging on the exhuast pipe causing a lot of smoke etc

.

This problem came to ahead during Operation Mallard during Autumn of 1987 with two fires in the lagging one at night, Marloy was look out, I was on the wheel, and ..Damo was in the bunk..( what was all that ****ing noise last night)

the second fire was later in the week with Gardai and soldiers on Board in Lough Swilly ,

Damo and me in the searider watching as the blue and green panic ensued after the fire call had been made.

Given there are no hoses run out of Naval peeps in fire gear I would suggest that photo is probably from the Exercise time, and If I'm correct it did feature in the RNLI magazine of 1988.

Also there were some winching exercise with firemen carried out that year and HIFR exercises with the RN /RAF. a lot of training took place with various agencies at that time.

So best guess..87.

[MJW]

Thanks so much for the help so far, I think we are really narrowing down the date.

I thought it might help to see some more stills so here are two from a different angle...

Cheers,
Michael

[damo de muff diver]

I tend to agree with G.R. & hpt as in year 1987
If you had any close-ups of Naval service crew this could help with pin-pointing exact time period

Also H.P.T.
is has to be pointed out people can fight a fire without making all that noise , you are all professionels after all. :wink:

[MJW]

Hey thanks for the input.

I went through the footage again for close ups, here are two stills of the closest thing I could find...

[DeV]

Looking at the uniforms of FB personnel (assuming they are not CD) it could be late 80s.

[golden rivet]

1987 give or take a day it is me looking over the side and as i mentioned before in post 3 that what was happening

[hptmurphy]

its from the time period I described earlier. Some where between the 13 Feb and the 26 Sept 1987.

Its an excercise prior to deployment of a helo.

The big yellow thing is the fueling rig for the Helo..the jar is a sample of Jet A1 or its military equivalent being tested for water contamination.

the second photo is of a dimunative L/S with good cap wearing skills.. actually Damo the Muff diver . or GR ....and the other guy is Jim Morrisey.

particular circumstances in around the period allow me to date this down to this time frame.I was Eithne for all the period from Autumn of 86 through to june of 1988 with only one significant break as outline above. I kept a diary from the time and it doesn't feature.

I know it was before the end of 1988 simply as the life rafts were changed from White to Grey. Small details make the difference.

thanks GR for the confirmation.

[Test Pilot]

MJW, I hope you don't mind, but I just cleaned up these photo's a bit. On one of them it quite clearly shows the Mech checking a sample of heli fuel.

There are two more samples on the deck along with a fueling hose. So the helo was still on board. Who is the PO mech? It's not Peter C, as he was out in my time.

The other pic would need someone to identify the three people. Fitzy? Paddles?

A bit of an Agatha Christy 'who dunnit'.

[damo de muff diver]

its from the time period I described earlier. Some where between the 13 Feb and the 26 Sept 1987.


the second photo is of a dimunative L/S with good cap wearing skills.. actually Damo the Muff diver . or GR ....and the other guy is Jim Morrisey.

.

That is not me ,it is G.R. ( no diving badge )
If it was me I would not have been leaning on the guard-rail like some old fishwife
I would have been standing in a smart , uniform and seamanlike manner
I think that 1987 is the year now can we try and nail down the month

[Test Pilot]

Looks a bit like you Damo on the heli deck. I'd know Miss Marples anywhere!

[damo de muff diver]

Looks a bit like you Damo on the heli deck. I'd know Miss Marples anywhere!

I don`t know but after all these years all them exercises just seem to blur into one
I unfortunately didn`t keep a diary just know what time period and what ship I was on from my L.A. 10

Me on the flight deck ?
If I didn`t have a mop in my hands then I must have been spellbinding all those firefighters with my exploits

[blaisec]

I think the P/O Mech is Gerry C and the other in the white shirt is the meo K Daly