The mackerel millionaires of Donegal have moved to prevent the sale of the Naval Service patrol ship, LE Deirdre.
A delegation from Killybegs port met the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, last week and made a strong case for purchasing the vessel, which is best known for its role in apprehending the Claudia gun-running ship, and participating in the 1979 Fastnet yacht race rescue.
The fishing community has initiated a fund-raising campaign to buy the vessel, and has said it will match the £190,000 accepted for it at auction in Cork a week ago.
Although the bid from an English yacht company, Sea Stream International, was accepted at the auction on June 14th, the sale has not been finalised, according to the Department of Defence, and is subject to ministerial approval.
Donegal fishing skippers are among those who once had their vessels boarded by patrols from the Deirdre. They want to use it as a conference and exhibition centre and a tourist attraction in the inner harbour. They maintain it is still seaworthy and could be used for research.
The 30-year-old vessel was decommissioned by the Government a year before its "sell-by date" of 2002. It is to be replaced by the latest vessel, LE Niamh.
In the Dail last week the Minister said the vessel was not sold at a knockdown price, and the accepted bid of £190,000 was what was expected. He intended to deal with the matter of approval "as soon as possible" but gave no further details.
The Irish North-West Passage expedition set sail from Westport quay, Co Mayo, this weekend on the first leg of its voyage to Vancouver, Canada, via the Arctic islands. The 50ft North about, built in Knock, Co Mayo, is skippered by Mr Paddy Barry of Dublin. He hopes to complete the first leg of the 7,800mile passage by late July, when it reaches the west coast of Greenland.
