Pictures: Irish Naval Service welcomes new naval officers at ceremony in Cork 

The Irish Naval Service welcomed two new officers into its ranks at a commissioning ceremony held at its base in Haulbowline on Friday, the lowest number of new officers to be commissioned for decades.

In previous commissioning services, up to 10 officers were awarded their Commissioning Scrolls. The Irish Naval Service now consists of an estimated 700 personnel, while the recommended complement is 1,094 and the failure to recruit new Naval Service personnel, as well as mechanical issues being repaired on Naval Service ships, has led to just one Naval Service vessel being on regular patrol around Ireland’s coast.

The area being covered, the National Maritime Economic Exclusion Zone, extends to 200 square nautical miles and is the largest of any EU country.

At Friday’s ceremony, both of the Naval Service’s new officers had links to the US Navy.

Lieutenant Cameron Clerkin, is originally from Midleton but his family moved to Carlow. He played hockey with both Midleton College and Kilkenny College while a studying there. His great grandfather on his mother’s side, Pierce MacUbbin, was a medical officer in the US Navy during the Second World War, serving in both the Pacific and Atlantic theatres.

His classmate, Lieutenant Brendan Morris, from Blackrock in Wexford, was one of the new officers and his father, Ronan, who was also present, was in the US Navy and on board the USS Kidd when it was deployed during the Gulf War.

Before joining the Naval Service, Lt Morris was a skipper on a river boat as well as a deck hand on a ship sailing the Pacific Ocean.

Both members of the 62nd Cadet Class underwent 22 months of intensive training and subjects covered included seamanship, leadership, navigation, communications, maritime engineering and naval warfare.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, also the defence minister, handed the two new officers their commissioning scrolls at Friday’s ceremony. Mr Martin acknowledged that the Defence Forces were facing recruitment challenges but pointed to unprecedented investment rates by the Government targeted at retention of existing personnel and recruitment of new members and officers.

Friday’s ceremony was also attended by Seán Clancy, the Defence Forces chief of staff, as well as Commodore Michael Malone, the flag officer commanding the Irish Naval Service.

In his message to the new officers and guests in the Commissioning Ceremony booklet, Commodore Malone said that while the ceremony marked the final day of their formal cadetship training, the learning journey would continue.

“Leadership requires lifelong study and experiential learning and, to practice it, requires skill, reflection and imagination,” said Commodore Malone. “All of which, throughout the duration of this cadetship, has proven to be well within your ability.”