A HIGH LEVEL meeting between military chiefs and naval officers has taken place in Dublin to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Naval Service, including incidents of vessels going to sea with non-functioning guns. 

The meeting on Monday saw naval leadership summoned from their base in Cork Harbour to McKee Barracks for discussions with Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Seán Clancy.

Sources have said the meeting was focused on a number of failings in Naval Service departments.

The key issue discussed was the fact that naval vessels had been put to sea with a non-functioning main gun because there are no technicians to maintain the weapons at the naval base in Haulbowline. 

The discovery that Irish Naval vessels were going to sea without their main weapon functioning was first revealed in the Irish Times.  

The meeting also examined communication mechanisms of problems between Dublin and the Naval Base. Sources have said that there are regular reports sent to military leaders in Dublin from the naval base documenting serious problems. 

The Journal has learned that the head of the section in charge of Defence Forces weapons was sent to the Naval Base to examine the crisis recently.

It is understood that a report sent back to Defence Forces Headquarters by this officer has revealed a stark reality to the crisis in Haulbowline and the lack of technicians.

We have, through multiple sources, determined that there have been instances when the navy ships went on patrol without a functioning main gun.

The LÉ Samuel Beckett sailing past Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork Harbour. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The issue of staffing shortfalls impacting readiness is nothing new in the Naval Service or the Irish Air Corps. As reported by The Journal previously both services are struggling to retain highly qualified technicians because they are being recruited to high paid civilian jobs. Just two vessels are available to patrol Ireland’s waters and its huge Exclusive Economic Zone. 

The main weapon on a naval vessel is a 76mm Oto Melara medium calibre naval armament – it is a hugely complex and large scale weapon system. Sources said an example of the use of such a weapon is that it could be used to disable a fleeing vessel in a drugs interdiction but also to defend the ship if it was fired upon.

The technicians who work to maintain the weapons have university level qualifications in electronic and electrical engineering and other highly specialised educational courses. 

A solution is incoming as sources have said that at least two technicians are returning to the Naval Base having been away on educational courses. 

A spokesman for the Irish Defence Forces in response to a query regarding the meeting said: “In relation to the Naval Service, we do not discuss the details of operational matters and secondly, the Chief of Staff regularly meets with his service and formation commanders both individually and collectively to discuss various service issues as a matter of routine and therefore this meeting would not be unusual.”