1984 Revisited: Sea drama leads to massive arms haul
September From 1984 The Advanced Arms Unloading The Seen Weaponry In Ann, Most Haulbowline, This Has State Marita Taken Cork, Technologically Co Ever Included The Haul
A massive surveillance operation masterminded by Cork gardai led directly to the capture of the biggest arms and explosives cargo destined for IRA gunmen.
Bigger than the 'Claudia' seizure, the haul included the most technologically-advanced weaponry this State has ever seen. Some of the weapons brought ashore would have been the most potentially powerful to fall into the hands of terrorists.
Among these was one if not more .5 inch calibre heavy machineguns, with a range of miles. The arsenal contained several thousand rounds of ammunition. Five types of different rifles were recovered as well as fully primed grenades, handguns, flack jackets, survival kits, rockets, telescopic sights and webbing equipment. Most of the weaponry was of East European and American origin.
This is part of the Irish Examiner's 1984 series which is going online this week from Monday, January 1. The series is also published in the 'Irish Examiner' in print and ePaper from Tuesday.
The sea drama was a sequel to months of planning by senior garda offices in the South. They had been closely monitoring port activity, the movement of fishing trawlers and known subversive suspects.
The Examiner revealed that while an international liaison of police forces in Ireland, Britain and the United States played a part in the last stage of the seizure, it was local gardaí who planned and pulled off the most sensational raid in Irish waters.
Gardaí assisted by the Naval Service played a "cat and mouse" game with the gunrunners.
The naval vessel LE Emer, carrying the boarding parties, was hiding between the fishing vessel's path and the coastline, sheltering on the east side of the Skellig Mor Island, off the Kerry coast.
When the 75ft fishing vessel, Marita Ann, was just two miles from the coast, the naval vessel went into action.
According to senior naval officers, when the Emer left to "challenge" the trawler the Marita Ann immediately took up a north-west position and attempted to "make a run for it".
Five men were arrested on board the Marita Ann. Three of the men, Martin Ferris, John Crawley and Skipper Browne, were later jailed for 10 years by the Special Criminal Court with the other two, Gavin Mortimer and John McCarthy, receiving suspended sentences.
It was probably the IRA’s most ambitious known gunrunning attempt ever.
The collection of guns and armoury on board included rockets, over 160 firearms, 71,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as a range of other military equipment. The consignment from the US was transferred from the Valhalla to the Marita Ann about 120 miles off the Kerry coast.
* Updated article first published in The Examiner