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Watch as an Irish Navy ship collides with a pontoon

Complete with German/Scandinavian/Dutch swearing!

A DEFENCE FORCES offshore patrol vessel is being repaired after a propulsion failure caused it to collide with a pontoon in Cobh Harbour.

The LÉ Aoife was leaving the Cork town to return to the naval headquarters in Haulbowline.

A group of German(or Scandinavian. Or Dutch.) tourists caught the moment on film and were suitably shocked. The video contains some swearing, so be warned. (The collision is at 1.10)

(Jossy John/YouTube)

A Defence Forces spokesperson said that nobody was injured on board.

“There were no injuries on board and there was minor damage above the water line which does not effect the vessels serviceability.

The ship was not scheduled for immediate patrol and is currently being assessed and repaired by Naval Engineers, it is expected to be repaired shortly.

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86 Comments
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    Mute Brian Guilfoyle
    Favourite Brian Guilfoyle
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:21 AM

    The Germans are thinking ‘We are not buying you a new one of them…’

    298
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    Mute Carcu Sidub
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:59 AM

    Well it was their fault. The crew were only trying to be frieldly and wave for the camera.

    47
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:35 AM

    The German Navy has had 37 crashes and accidents in the last year. One included firing a 76mm cannon in to their own ship. How the F do you manage that. Another 86m boat crashed in to Norway.

    Do you think the Germans are worried about what the world thinks, course not. They know the rest of the world doesn’t care and has its own problems.

    101
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    Mute fergus
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:59 AM

    Only navy ya can fall overboard and get stung by nettles and go home for lunch.

    53
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    Mute eric grixy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:09 PM

    Ireland is gone to hell ; you’d want eyes in the front of your boat now !

    10
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    Mute Barry Healy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:07 PM

    Crashed into norway? Love it! “Sorry boss didn’t see ya there, fierce blind spot when you’re reversing these things!”

    46
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    Mute Jeff
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:30 PM

    They can afford to buy a new 1

    7
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    Mute Ian Harty
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    Aug 27th 2013, 2:32 PM

    crashed into Norway!!! outstanding statement man!

    20
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    Mute Carcu Sidub
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:41 AM

    Port
    No Starboard.
    No Port
    Port
    No Starboard.
    Ah £uck it
    LEFT
    LEFT
    NO MY LEFT
    OOPS to late.

    105
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    Mute Hedley Lamarr
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:28 PM

    “HOLD IT !!!!!!!!!!”

    5
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    Mute Tom Daly Clarke
    Favourite Tom Daly Clarke
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:20 AM

    They did warn the ‘pontoon’, before the heroic attack by our navy.

    Meanwhile it ha been confirmed that German Naval Intelligence were the people doing the filming.

    103
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    Mute Nigel Murphy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:29 AM

    Jesus even the Germans are laughing at us, they were probably thinking the captain was drunk at the wheel

    57
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    Mute Emilio
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:33 AM

    What do you mean ‘even the Germans’? The Germans have been laughing at us since day one!

    89
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:29 AM

    NIgel.

    More of the poor us, shure they are all laughing at us paranoia that is so evident in Ireland’s chronically insecure populace.

    The German Navy has a track record of crashing in to itself that makes bumper cars envious. You do not hear the Germans moaning and weeping at what others think, that is because they are grown ups.

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/30/germany.internet

    31
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    Mute o4kxpGx9
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    Aug 27th 2013, 7:48 PM

    Germans have been laughing since they started taking all our money

    5
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    Mute Emilio
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:32 AM

    The pontoon came out from nowhere!

    81
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    Mute Emilio
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:39 AM

    That will buff out…

    71
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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:56 AM

    “They all come like that sir”

    34
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    Mute Carcu Sidub
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:04 PM

    As opposed to the rest of us.

    3
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    Mute On Raglan Road
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    Aug 28th 2013, 1:27 AM

    Why did the captain stop on a hill?

    2
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    Mute Les Oulton
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:00 AM

    “It’s my first day”

    64
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    Mute Martin Forde
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:37 PM

    ah the pixie heads…

    21
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    Mute Ucanthandlethetruth
    Favourite Ucanthandlethetruth
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:25 AM

    Parking Sensors needed.

    57
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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:49 AM

    L plates needed!

    39
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    Mute Sandeep Chowdhury
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:59 AM

    Not German, but Indian.. from the words that can be heard, the people shooting the video were from Kerela.

    56
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:04 PM

    The difference between Ireland and India.

    No one has questioned “is it one of the Singh’s from Ballydelhi, my brother played football against him 40 years ago”.

    here we’d be nodding knowing someone who knows them

    8
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    Mute Mark McGloughlin
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:41 AM

    Doesn’t sound like German to me. My guess is that they are Scandinavian tourists?

    39
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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:48 AM

    Sounds like it, Mark. Doesn’t seem to be German anyway.

    22
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    Mute Tom Daly Clarke
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:01 AM

    why spoil a good story with facts?

    47
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    Mute Susanne Morgan
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:20 AM

    Only 2 German words in all this: ‘mein Gott’ and they are being uttered by the same voice that uses other languages as well …

    10
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    Mute damian
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:34 AM

    Yeah defo not German. Sounds like he’s Indian when speaking English…

    28
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    Mute Róisín Connick
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:31 AM

    Was down in Cobh over the weekend for my friends 21st and her dads 50th Liam was in the navy..we went down and got a tour of Aoife (My sister was named after her so we thought we would take a look around)…few hours later we are in the pub..go out side and the poor thing is bouncing off things…I blame my sister!She is called the Wicked Witch of the west!

    32
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    Mute Credible Alibi
    Favourite Credible Alibi
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:01 AM

    Germans laughing! And it was caught on video! Seen it all now!

    31
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    Mute Carcu Sidub
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:38 AM

    Capt. Pugwash reporting for duty.

    31
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    Mute Jonathan Mark Lannon
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:55 AM

    What was the pontoon doing just floating around like that in the middle of the water?
    That was an accident waiting to happen!

    27
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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:28 AM

    Three point turn fail!

    19
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    Mute Simon Murdoch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:00 AM

    My Dad, a Scotsman, to this day still asks (when we see an Irish navy ship).. “How many oars does it have?” Cheeky fecker. Although they coulda done with some there

    18
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    Mute Credible Alibi
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:05 AM

    You could always tell him its about the same as the English ones Scotland uses :-)

    59
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    Mute ieoinu
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:49 AM

    I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you but your dad is an a$$hole.

    34
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    Mute Simon Murdoch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:12 PM

    would that be the Royal Navy, no?

    7
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    Mute Simon Murdoch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:13 PM

    hey! nice fake twitter profile! a shit troll!

    5
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    Mute Tom Daly Clarke
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:59 PM

    ask him how many ships the Scottish nave has.

    17
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:05 PM

    In fairness it is a good one to throw back, Scotland has only what England allows it.

    That said fighting the revolution at your dinner table over light family ribbing might not be the solution either.

    14
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    Mute Darren Foran
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:43 AM

    TORA ! TORA ! TORA !!!!!

    16
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    Mute Jason Ebbs
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:27 PM

    My god some people are so easily amused. I was expecting to see something really dramatic.

    15
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    Mute Rodger O Waters
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:02 AM

    Tsk Wimmin Drivers

    15
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    Mute eric grixy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:12 PM

    Officer’s mess ; “Anyone for a game of pontoon lads ?”

    14
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    Mute Brendan Mc Hynes
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:03 AM

    A little bit of T cut and she will be grand,

    13
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    Mute James Barr
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:02 AM

    That’s it,it took me ten minutes to down load that

    13
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    Mute Kevin Whyte
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    Aug 27th 2013, 2:32 PM

    Who let the woman drive?????????

    12
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    Mute oldon
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:05 PM

    Tax and insurance please. Were are your L plates.

    11
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    Mute Paul Clancy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:18 AM

    Would someone think of the pontoons!

    10
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    Mute Cormac Breathnach
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:35 PM
    10
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    Mute Jonathan McCoy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:46 PM

    Aoife is an old ship, I bet they are finding it hard to keep her patched up at this stage. I just hope they don’t crash the shiny new Samuel L. Beckett that is due to replace her next year.

    9
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    Mute Killian Lynch
    Favourite Killian Lynch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 2:05 PM

    I though Navy ships were named exclusively after mythological women. Have they changed that?

    6
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    Mute Killian Lynch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 2:06 PM

    I thought Navy ships were named exclusively after mythological women. Have they changed that?

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    Mute Jonathan P McCoy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 3:12 PM

    Yep its changed. The two new ships will be Samuel L. Beckett and James Joyce.

    3
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    Mute Killian Lynch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 3:27 PM

    Good to know. Cheers.

    1
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    Mute Noel O'Gorman
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    Aug 27th 2013, 7:36 PM

    Men’s names on the ships!? This is not going to end well!

    1
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    Mute Killian Lynch
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    Aug 27th 2013, 7:41 PM

    Nice bit of gender equality ;) On a side note, I wonder will the ships still be referred to using female pronouns. Is a ship still female if it’s named after a man?

    1
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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Aug 27th 2013, 8:05 PM

    Isn’t there a ferry called that?

    1
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    Mute Michelle Delaney
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    Aug 28th 2013, 12:22 AM

    Ridiculous names for ships!

    1
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Aug 28th 2013, 1:25 AM

    Right,thats the Irish navy out of comission for the next year or so.
    So from mythical women to Irish writers… Will there be an Ocasr Wilde class vessel as well,sister ship the Brendan Behan??

    1
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    Mute Killian Lynch
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    Aug 28th 2013, 10:19 AM

    Hopefully we’ll see an LE Michael Collins or Padraig Pearse in the next few years.

    1
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    Mute Donal Rossiter
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    Aug 27th 2013, 10:48 AM

    Whos at the helm?? Homer simpson. Hate to see them trying to shoot the guns! Keystone cops stuff that

    8
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    Mute Harry Webb
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    Aug 27th 2013, 1:05 PM

    Blame it on the radar! That was down at the time when the captain was playing computer games!

    1
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    Mute Robin Pickering
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    Aug 27th 2013, 3:55 PM

    The Captain was watching RTE. That’ll be €160 please!

    3
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    Mute Kevin Denny
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:20 PM

    Poor Aoife, she just needed to crash.

    6
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    Mute eric grixy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:46 PM

    she should leave her glasses on before she gets to the bed , she might bang into something !

    2
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    Mute Stewart
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:30 AM

    Listen to horn on video:
    Manoeuvring and warning signals (d) When vessels in sight of one another are approaching each other and from any cause either vessel fails to understand the intentions or actions of the other, or is in doubt whether sufficient action is being taken by the other to avoid collision, the vessel in doubt shall immediately indicate such doubt by giving at least five short and rapid blasts on the whistle. Such signal may be supplemented by a light signal of at least five short and rapid flashes

    5
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    Mute Barry Healy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 5:30 PM

    So what you’re saying is they smashed it, realised they didn’t have a clue what they were at and sounded the horn to warn everyone? That was nice of them! ;-)

    2
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    Mute Gavin Lawlor
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:37 AM

    Sounds like they were trying to make porn but used the wrong video.
    There’s a family somewhere watching sex to the sound of ship horns!!

    5
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    Mute eric grixy
    Favourite eric grixy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 12:48 PM

    Wait ’til the Spanish fishermen see this they will launch a flotilla of fishing boats that will rival the one that sank of Mayo years ago !

    5
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    Mute Victoria Murphy
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:17 AM

    Small point but they’re definitely not European. Hilarious. It’s like they waited for the camera to position itself for the perfect shot

    5
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    Mute Kevin O'Hare
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:43 AM

    This was a simply tactical invasion maneuver, If the guns dont work shove it out of the way :D :D Now the pontoon is set free to float the seven seas, to take it where ever the wind blows :D

    4
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Aug 28th 2013, 1:31 AM

    Its called ramming your enemies vessel,and was much in mode as a tactic around Roman times….
    Guess the Irish navy has a bit to catch up on modern naval warfare…they’ll be firing broadsides with muzzle loading cannons at their oppos ,and swinging over on hand lines with cutlasses and knives clutched in their teeth next.

    1
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    Mute Mike Forde
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    Aug 27th 2013, 6:49 PM

    I was walking by as this happened. Everyone, both local and tourist were in stitches laughing at the event.

    3
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    Mute Golden Bryan
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    Aug 27th 2013, 9:14 PM

    I don’t see what’s funny about it.

    3
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    Mute lick a stinger
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    Aug 28th 2013, 12:26 AM

    Is that the ship with the lady captain???

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    Mute big shmoke
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:24 AM
    2
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    Mute Jakub Bialek
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    Aug 27th 2013, 11:26 AM

    What is the commentary language?? :D

    2
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    Mute Aidan O'Donovan
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    Aug 27th 2013, 9:29 PM

    Cobh harbour?

    1
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    Mute Brian Haines
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    Aug 28th 2013, 12:32 PM

    THE ONLY NAVY IN THE WORLD THAT GET TO CYCLE HOME FOR THEIR TEA…….

    1
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    Mute Francis
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    Aug 28th 2013, 12:44 PM

    Propulsion failure yeah right!
    .. I actually done the exact same thing
    on one of the boat you hire on the shannon.

    1
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    Mute Jazz O'Gorman
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    Aug 27th 2013, 5:27 PM

    They probably done it deliberately for the craic.

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    Mute Les
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    Aug 28th 2013, 7:27 AM

    Looked like a hit and run to me!!

    1
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