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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent

Former smugglers’ ship sunk off Ireland to form artificial reef

MV Shingle with three small dinghies in the water around it
Screengrab from a YouTube live feed (by Ocean Sands Hotel) of the MV Shingle ship being sunk to create an artificial reef off Killala Bay, Ireland Photograph: Ocean Sands Hotel/YouTube

The valves opened, the sea gurgled in and slowly, imperceptibly at first, the ship began its journey to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The 60-metre MV Shingle debuted in Ireland a decade ago as a smuggling vessel, but then became an unwanted hulk. On Wednesday afternoon it performed its swan song – scuttled off County Mayo to create an artificial reef.

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