Robert Gyle

I thought I might clear up some misunderstandings about how the landing craft PA30 11 used in the movie Saving Private Ryan ended up in Northern Ireland.. Myself, Robert Gyle & my business partner Mark Huffam owned a film facilities company called G&H Film & Television Services , based in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Mark was an associate producer on the movie. Our company was asked to go & inspect PA30 11 which was lying on a beach 100 miles away in the small fishing port of Burtonport in Southern Ireland & the craft was owned by a local trawler man who had bought it the move tractors & livestock to an offshore island. He had never actually used it as it needed a lot of Re-commissioning before it would be seaworthy. I inspected & photographed the boat. The 2 Foden 2stroke supercharged Diesel engines seemed never to have been used as the white paint on them was like new. The boat was purchased from the gentleman in Burtonport & taken to our workshop where it was given a complete overhaul including double fuel & double charging systems in case of an emergency the systems could be changed over to the spare one, all electrics & instruments were renewed, all throttle linkages were fitted with rose joints for smooth operation. Prop shaft seals & bearings were renewed as was the large seal on the drop down loading door. When the work was completed we transported the boat to Wexford in Ireland for sea trials & also because this is the location for the main beach landing scenes. All this work was carried out to this landing craft for the safety of the main actor Tom Hanks. After it was finished filming on the movie it was transported to our workshop at Holywood, Northern Ireland where it was stored for a few years. A gentleman called at our workshop out of the blue interested in buying it because by coincidence he had bought an island of the West coast of Ireland & required a landing craft to take diggers & building materials over to the island, which had no landing jetty & he was going to reconstruct an old island house. He bought the boat & we delivered it to his farm Waringstown in Co.Down. The new owner successfully used PA30 11 to take all the materials & machinery to the island & he was able to build his house. The whereabouts & ownership of the boat after that we are not sure about. Robert Gyle