Lucky Star

KINSALE
ANGLING

Banner_Diving_UC42_Propellor.jpg

Diving German WW1 minelaying submarine UC-42.

Propellor boss, WW1 German submarine UC 42

Propeller boss of one of WW1 sub UC-42's propellors. She lies sunk approx 5nm south of Roches Point. Photo ©Timmy Carey

Wreck of 1692

Sidescan sonar image of Wreck of 1692 (to be confirmed) discovered by Carroll O'Donoghue, owner/operator of HARPY, in 2015.

Survey equipment.

A selection of our underwater survey hardware. We're ready when you need us.

Divers off Old Head

Wreck-diving off the Old Head of Kinsale

Commercial Diving

Commercial Divers working on undersea pipes outside Kinsale harbour.

Recovering Diver

Recovering Diver after ascent from Lusitania wreck.

Kinsale Sunset

Sunset in Kinsale, pictured from the quays.

Lucky Star

The owner of converted trawler "LUCKY STAR" abandons his ship outside Kinsale and leaves its crew without money, food or means of returning home to their families. Due to regulations the boat is forced to lie off Kinsale - but the Minister for the Marine & Natural Resources Noel Dempsey does nothing to intervene in their plight, despite local pleas. Readers may recall Noel Dempsey T.D. as the minister that gave the foreshore license to the SHELL OIL corporation against the best advice of state planning agencies and EU safety directives and brought in a law whereby the government could use compulsory purchase orders forcing load owners to sell their lands to commercial entities, (in the first case to SHELL OIL). Thanks to Dempsey and the Fianna Fail government under Bertie Ahern, Ireland got a worse deal for the gas from the CORRIB GAS FIELD than did NIGERIA from their notoriously botched deal with SHELL for their states oil. Noel Dempsey is now retired from Irish politics (getting a very large pension from the state - Thank You) and has businesses and properties in RUSSIA, THE MIDDLE EAST and God knows many other counties of good standing here. But back to the LUCKY STAR...

Locals, including the local canon (Canon David Williams) and the harbour master (Capt. Phil Devitt), resorted to taking food and other goods out to the crew by small boats for the crew's subsistence.

Eventually, after some weeks and after much pressure was brought, the boat is moved to the quays and the crewmen given tickets home.

At quayside.

A reminder of the work of the Seafarers Mission - the abandoned trawler "Lucky Star". Her owner abandoned her crew in Kinsale. After much work by Canon Williams, Cpt Devit and others the crew were finally repatriated to Pakistan just days before Sea Sunday.
"Lucky Star" at quayside
Finally the trawler is allowed to dock and here the trawler lies quiet, awaiting auction and the crew have flown.
"Lucky Star" at quayside.
Humanitarian Aid Request

Here is a poster that was circulated at the time by Canon David Williams of St.Multose church, Kinsale and Mission to Seafarers. Eventually the crew of the "Lucky Star" were repatriated - helped in the main by local generousity and efforts. Their whereabouts now that is unknown.

Minister Dempsey is now retired on an annual ministerial pension of €119,177 (Kelly, Fiach (10 November 2011). "Thanks big fellas: Ahern and Cowen get massive pensions". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 November 2011.) One of his last (thankfully unsuccessful) efforts as minister was to "amalgamate" the MRCC stations. Apparently these marine rescue co-ordination centres were to be closed before the location of the replacement station had even been decided upon.

Then again, Noel Dempsey is well able to weather a storm. In winter 2009 with the country ground to a halt, battling against its worst weather in 40 years this Minister for Transport & Communications sat it out holidaying in Malta. Chuala mé duine eigean ag úsáid an tearma "Feall-Aire" i gcór Dempsey. Glic! (Feall is the gaelic for failure/let-down, Aire is the gaelic for government Minister, but Feallaire is the gaelic for traitor).

Lest we forget...
"Lucky Star" aid request.

At quayside.

A reminder of the work of the Seafarers Mission - the abandoned trawler "Lucky Star". Her owner abandoned her crew in Kinsale. After much work by Canon Williams, Cpt Devit and others the crew were finally repatriated to Pakistan just days before Sea Sunday.

Finally the trawler is allowed to dock and here the trawler lies quiet, awaiting auction and the crew have flown.

Humanitarian Aid Request

Here is a poster that was circulated at the time by Canon David Williams of St.Multose church, Kinsale and Mission to Seafarers. Eventually the crew of the "Lucky Star" were repatriated - helped in the main by local generousity and efforts. Their whereabouts now that is unknown.

Minister Dempsey is now retired on an annual ministerial pension of €119,177 (Kelly, Fiach (10 November 2011). "Thanks big fellas: Ahern and Cowen get massive pensions". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 November 2011.) One of his last (thankfully unsuccessful) efforts as minister was to "amalgamate" the MRCC stations. Apparently these marine rescue co-ordination centres were to be closed before the location of the replacement station had even been decided upon.

Then again, Noel Dempsey is well able to weather a storm. In winter 2009 with the country ground to a halt, battling against its worst weather in 40 years this Minister for Transport & Communications sat it out holidaying in Malta. Chuala mé duine eigean ag úsáid an tearma "Feall-Aire" i gcór Dempsey. Glic! (Feall is the gaelic for failure/let-down, Aire is the gaelic for government Minister, but Feallaire is the gaelic for traitor).

Lest we forget...