Assassination Louis_Mountbatten,_1st_Earl_Mountbatten_of_Burma

christ in triumph on darkness , evil gabriel loire (1982) @ st. george s cathedral, cape town, south africa, in memory of lord mountbatten

mountbatten holidayed @ summer home, classiebawn castle, in mullaghmore, small seaside village in county sligo, ireland. village 12 miles (19 km) border northern ireland , near area known used cross-border refuge ira members. in 1978, ira had allegedly attempted shoot mountbatten aboard boat, choppy seas had prevented sniper lining target .

on 27 august 1979, mountbatten went lobster-potting , tuna fishing in 30-foot (9.1 m) wooden boat, shadow v, had been moored in harbour @ mullaghmore. ira member thomas mcmahon had slipped onto unguarded boat night , attached radio-controlled bomb weighing 50 pounds (23 kg). when mountbatten aboard, few hundred yards shore, bomb detonated. boat destroyed force of blast, , mountbatten s legs blown off. mountbatten, aged 79, pulled alive water nearby fishermen, died injuries before being brought shore. aboard boat elder daughter patricia (lady brabourne), husband john (lord brabourne), twin sons nicholas , timothy knatchbull, john s mother doreen, (dowager) lady brabourne, , paul maxwell, young crew member county fermanagh. nicholas (aged 14) , paul (aged 15) killed blast , others injured. doreen, lady brabourne (aged 83) died injuries following day.

the ira issued statement afterward, saying:

the ira claim responsibility execution of lord louis mountbatten. operation 1 of discriminate ways can bring attention of english people continuing occupation of our country. [...] death of mountbatten , tributes paid him seen in sharp contrast apathy of british government , english people deaths of on 3 hundred british soldiers, , deaths of irish men, women , children @ hands of forces.

six weeks later, sinn féin vice-president gerry adams said of mountbatten s death:

the ira gave clear reasons execution. think unfortunate has killed, furor created mountbatten s death showed hypocritical attitude of media establishment. member of house of lords, mountbatten emotional figure in both british , irish politics. ira did him mountbatten had been doing life other people; , war record don t think have objected dying in war situation. knew danger involved in coming country. in opinion, ira achieved objective: people started paying attention happening in ireland.

on day of bombing, ira ambushed , killed eighteen british soldiers in northern ireland, sixteen of them parachute regiment, in became known warrenpoint ambush. deadliest attack on british army during troubles.