Iraq taskforce ship visits Cork

cork | anti-war / imperialism | news report Monday July 16, 2007 11:36 by John Jefferies - Anti-War Ireland (Cobh) Cobh, Co. Cork

HMS Liverpool in the heart of Cork City

A ship that served on the US / British naval taskforce in the Persian Gulf during the invasion of Iraq visited "neutral" Cork Harbour at the weekend. Once again Irish neutrality was breached shamelessly. Rumour has it that more visits to Cork Harbour are likely in advance of next year's 70th anniversary of the 1938 handing over of the "Treaty Ports". Looks like we've effectively handed them back.

HMS Liverpool passing Cobh this morning on her way out

HMS Liverpool (D92), a Type 42 destroyer and sister-ship of the ill-fated Sheffield and Coventry visited Cork Harbour at the weekend and was berthed at the North Custom House Quay - a few hundred metres away from the city centre.

The 4,820 tonne displacement HMS Liverpool left Cork Harbour this morning (Monday) after its weekend visit accompanied by the Port of Cork tug Gerry O'Sullivan. Over the weekend she was heavily guarded by gardaí and armed branch men.

At 125m long (410 feet) and with a crew of 287 on board, the HMS Liverpool is armed to the teeth with the following armaments:-

Twin Sea Dart Missile launcher
4.5 inch (114 mm) Mk 8 gun
2 x 20 mm Oerlikon guns
2 x Vulcan Phalanx close in weapons system (CIWS)
2 x Triple anti submarine torpedo tubes
NATO Seagnat and DLF3 Decoy Launchers

She also carries a Lynx HMA8 helicopter

In 2003 HMS Liverpool was part of the naval task force sent to the Persian Gulf at the start of the US led invasion of Iraq. She had just completed the second test of a Sea Dart missile at sea and had undergone extensive refitting at Rosyth dockyard. In 2003 at the beginning of the Iraq invasion she served as air defence commander to the UK Maritime Battlegroup as well as being the guardship of the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.