For 24 hours, Irish air force planes and naval vessels had been keeping a close watch over the trawler Marita Anne. Finally, off the southwest coast of Ireland, two Irish navy corvettes, the Emer and Aisling, closed in on the 50-ft. vessel, firing four rounds of tracer bullets across its bows. On board, Irish authorities found seven tons of arms. The weaponry was apparently destined for the Irish Republican Army, the terrorist group that seeks to unite British-ruled Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic. Police arrested five men aboard the Marita Anne, including two believed to be I.R. A. members.
It was the largest I.R.A. shipment to be intercepted since 1973. As with an estimated 80% of the terrorists' arms, the trawler's deadly cargo was apparently financed and supplied by nationalist sympathizers in the U.S. Irish authorities reportedly acted on a tip from U.S. intelligence sources.