Press Release

Thousands Come To Give A Warm Welcome To Navy Visitors

Monday, 20 February 2006

Derry basked in warm winter sunshine as a fleet of six international naval vessels were berthed at Queen’s Quay over the weekend. Thousands of people flocked to view the ships and welcome the group of international sailors to the city, many of who were visiting Ireland for the first time. The joint group represented Belgium, Britain, Estonia, Germany, Norway and The Netherlands.

Members of the international naval fleet pictured with the Deputy Mayor, Alderman Mary Hamilton, Catherine O'Connor from the Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau, Claire Lundy, Derry City Council, and Aideen Corr, Cruise North West, at a reception held at the Guildhall over the weekend. (Photo provided by RNLN (Royal Netherlands Navy) )

In naval terms it was the first Estonian naval visit to Ireland. Commander of the Joint Fleet, Nico Vassaeur of the Royal Netherlands Navy, said, “The warm welcome we have received from everybody has really been enormous. The offered lunch at the Guildhall and the superb performance by the dancers, the tours of the city’s walls and the bus tours were all very much appreciated. So far every sailor of the force I have been talking to, has had a wonderful weekend in the city. All of them really enjoyed the hospitality.

“The number of people visiting our ships during the open house on Saturday and Sunday was enormous. It is not often that we can welcome such a great amount of people. I would like to thank the people of the city for a wonderful visit this past weekend. I will report back to the headquarters that the city is a smashing place to visit. It has a warm heart for sailors.”

Over the weekend the 250 crew members took part in walking tours of the city, a visit to the Spanish Armada Exhibition, coach tour to the North Antrim Coast. The exceptionally good weather enabled many of them to enjoy a game of golf and some horseriding while the University of Ulster at Magee extended the use of their sports facilities for an inter-ship 5 Aside Football match.

The visit to the Spanish Armada Exhibition at the Tower Museum included members of the City of Derry Sub Aqua Club who were marking the 35th Anniversary of the finding of the Trinidad Valencera. Local diver, Eamon Molloy, who was the project co-ordinator of the find said he was delighted with the opportunity of showing the young divers around the exhibition and telling them the story of their ‘once in a lifetime’ find.

First time visitor to the city, Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Holmes of the HMS Bangor, said his crew were also very impressed with the city and thoroughly enjoyed their stay. He said: ‘We were thrilled with the welcome we received. My crew members commented on how welcome they were made feel, and are asking, ‘when are we coming back’. Derry is an ideal location for recreation breaks and we will look forward to coming back in the future.”

Almost 5,000 visitors queued to see around the modern day navy vessels. The joint naval fleet was on a recreation break from their usual duties as a multinational mine countermeasure naval squadron. The crew members volunteered to manage public visits during their stay and, they were amazed at the interest in their ships and their lives at sea and were more than happy to welcome so many visitors onboard

The ships held an interest for all ages, as old and young were shown round the modern day naval ships. It brought back memories of days when the city played host to over 200 naval ships during the Second World War.

Deputy Mayor, Alderman Mary Hamilton, said: “ The ships created a great attraction and drew many visitors in the city over the weekend. The young crew were exceptionally appreciative of our warm welcome and they all seemed to have enjoyed the many aspects of our city’s entertainment and attractions. I was impressed at the number of people who came along to welcome the sailors to the city and it was a great opportunity for us to showcase the city to so many young people from throughout Europe.”

The visit was organised by Cruise North West, which is supported by the EU Interreg IIIA Programme Ireland/Northern Ireland, and is the first in the city’s maritime calendar of events for 2006.

Aideen Corr, Development Officer with Cruise North West said: “It is unusual to welcome ships at this time of the year and with the bonus of exceptional good weather it attracted a high number of visitors making a trip here to see the ships. The impact of the 250 plus crew spending the weekend added with day-trippers creates a real economic benefit to the city. It has also created another 250 ambassadors for our city, many who were visiting Ireland for the first time, and who will hopefully make a return visit in the future.”

Ends

Further press information can be obtained by contacting the Marketing and Communications Section, Derry City Council. Tel. 028 7137 6504.

For additional information contact:

Press Office

return to previous page