North Atlantic Skyline - - Photographs from the west of Ireland (Galway, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Roscommon and even Leitrim)

Chiyo Maru

The Docks in Galway receives many visitors and few are as well travelled as the fleet of Japanese fishing boats that spent last month tied up in the harbour (and any visiting whales might want to keep their heads down while they're here). This ship, conveniently parked outside O'Conaire's early morning bar (funnily enough, the spot where the Irish Navy ships usually park), is named the Chiyo Maru No. 28. The first ship to bear that name met it's end during World War II, sunk by a US submarine called the Tambor, commanded by a John M Murphy. That action took place almost 80 years to the day after another John M Murphy, born of Ireland but commanding the Ironclad Carondelet, led his crew in support of the battle for Vicksburg (Murphy's commander, Admiral Porter, said of his fleet during the battle - when told of the loss of one of his ships - that he 'was willing to lose all the boats if he could do any good').

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