An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 16 | Comdre Tully recalls: "There was no PSS in those days. It was difficult recovering the deceased, a large number of whom were women and children. But we coped very well, given the circumstances, in the way that a crew bonds together and provides self-support. It wasn't formalised or structured, but it was there." Every year, ex-crew members of LÉ Aisling from that op- eration assemble at a memorial to the victims in Ahakista, Co Cork, to pay their respects and to renew the bonds of comradeship that were forged in that terrible time. In 1986, Comdre Tully served in Lebanon with UNIFIL, and in 1987 he was posted to NSHQ in Dublin for two years. He then joined LÉ Eithne as XO, before receiving his first com- mand in 1990 onboard LÉ Aoife, which he commanded for al- most four-and-a-half years, with a shore posting in-between. He then served as Commandant the Naval College before going on to complete his Command and Staff course. He also managed to fit in stints with Naval Intelligence and the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC). Comdre Tully's last sea-going command was in 2007 as OC LÉ Eithne before taking charge of the Personnel Man- agement Section until his promotion to captain and his appointment as OC Naval Operations Command (OCNOC). Of his time as OCNOC, Commodore Tully says that, "The main challenge in the role was dealing with the ageing ves- sels as we were only starting to build the P60 class…Mainte- nance was a headache across all branches; trying to meet the operational requirements and the maintenance needs." The retention of personnel was also a problem he faced and he says of this perennial issue: "Retention has always been one of the biggest challenges. It was back then, and still is. Recruitment is still challenging, despite the high profile of the service. Yet we continue to attract a very dedicated type of person." In 2013, he was promoted to Commodore and appointed FOCNS and the next year the first of the new P60s. ("Three of them arrived on my watch," he says proudly.) This was a very busy period, with huge challenges in meeting the Naval Service's commitments while renewing the fleet through the replacement of the older ships with ultra-modern patrol vessels. Then, in 2015 it became even more challenging when the government responded to a call for assistance from its EU partners in dealing with the growing humanitarian crisis in the southern Mediterranean. This led to the first overseas deployment of a Naval Service vessel, when LÉ Eithne joined Operation Pontus. Comdre Tully says of this historic deployment: "My philosophy has always been, 'It's not all about fish!' While fishery protection is an extremely important job - you only have to consider what it is worth to the national economy and the number of people employed in the industry – but, equally, I have always held the opinion we have to keep the 'grey' in the Navy as well. "We were given two weeks' notice to be ready to depart and we were ready to go in two, although the diplomatic side took three weeks. "Search and rescue was nothing new to us; it is something we have been involved in throughout the history of the ser- vice, although nothing on this volume." He is tremendously proud of the ships' companies who participated in the rescue of thousands of people during the many Operation Pontus deployments. In December 2017, LÉ Niamh became the first ship to join the European Union Naval Force, Mediterranean (EUNAV- FOR MED) mission, Operation Sophia. Of this mission, Com- dre Tully says: "There was some resistance from some who felt there was no humanitarian element to Operation Sophia, but of course there is, and we saw that during LÉ Niamh's tour last December, when many people were rescued even though the primary focus is the disruption of smuggling and arms trafficking. Our vessels are ideal for this type of work." Asked if he had any words for his successor, the outgoing FOCNS said: "I would like to congratulate and wish Mi- chael the very best. It is so important to have a strong team around you; who will tell you what you need to hear, as op- posed to what you might like to hear. It's a team effort, from senior officers to NCOs." Asked if he would miss the Naval Service, Comdre Tully re- plied, "I won't miss the buildings, I'll miss the people. We are a small organisation, where you get to know a lot of people. For me, the annual FOCNS inspection was a chance to meet the ship's company, the inspection was nearly secondary." Comdre Tully is not planning on settling into a quiet re- tirement any time soon. He has recently become chairman of the Crosshaven RNLI Lifeboat Management Group and he is a board member of Sail Training Ireland. He will continue to serve his community in these voluntary positions, bring- ing his years of experience to the roles in organisations that provide so much to seafarers throughout the country. While Comdre Tully has been at the helm for many firsts, the incoming FOCNS, Commodore Michael Malone, has started his command of the service with a first of his own being the first marine engineer to hold the appointment. LÉ Eithne during Operation PONTUS in June 2017. The latest addition to the fleet, LÉ William Butler Yeats P63. Irish Naval Service personnel recovering bodies from the Air India Flight 182 disaster.

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