12 sunken and damaged boats raised from Grand Canal Basin in Dublin

AMID SCENES reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean Waterways Ireland raised 12 sunken and damaged boats from the Grand Canal Basin in Dublin over recent weeks.

The boats some of which were so rotten they had to be lifted to the surface by cradle and crane, had been abandoned in the canal basin for at least five years - some of them for decades.

Onlookers who watched as the boats emerged from the watery depths said many were covered in mud, slime and zebra mussels, giving a distinctly spectral appearance to their rusting hulls.

Those that could be refloated were tied to the quay wall, their mud coats drying out in the sunshine, while those whose timbers were too rotten, were taken away by a licensed contractor.

All boats whether completely submerged or partially sticking out of the water had earlier been deemed to have been abandoned and were considered to be a hazard to navigation. The operation to raise the sunken boats took over two weeks and involved a salvage team along with divers, who worked from pontoons to seal, sling and re-float them.

One of the boats to come out of the water was a wooden motor launch which looked in surprisingly fine fettle. Some were still shapely looking wooden sailing boats while others were purely rusting metal husks. One of the most notable, a red barge complete with fenders, was well covered in a coat of zebra mussels.

In photographs published on the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland web-based discussion boards, one of the rusting metal hulks appeared to be getting a coat of new anti-rust paint as part of a restoration job.

The work is part of efforts by Waterways Ireland and its partners in the Dublin Dockland development Authority and the private sector to improve the amenity of the waterway. Following a period of urban regeneration in the docklands it is now at the centre of a bustling residential and amenity area.

The Grand Canal Basin was officially opened in April 1796 as a docks for seagoing vessels and a terminus for the Grand Canal. Vessels could enter the basin via the Liffey and larger vessels would transfer goods to barges which would transport goods and people across the country to the Shannon or to the many towns along the way.

Branches of the canal provided access to the river Barrow, and Waterford while Shannon access was available to Limerick and 13 counties that bordered the river.