‘Milestone occasion’ as Irish navy adds two vessels to fleet

A crowd of invited guests gathered at the naval base in Haulbowline yesterday for the commissioning ceremony of the two latest additions to the navy’s fleet, the LÉ Aoibhinn and the LÉ Gobnait, in what was hailed as a “milestone occasion” for the naval service.

LÉ Aoibhinn (P71) along with the LÉ Gobnait (P72) are the two inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) that were delivered to Cork last May to replace the decommissioned LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara.

They were purchased from the New Zealand government and reoriented to specific Irish Naval Service requirements, overseen by the Irish Naval Service and the Department of Defence.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony yesterday, Tánaiste and minister for defence, Micheál Martin, described the commissioning as an “important occasion”.

“Today’s commissioning of these versatile and important vessels is an important step forward in our efforts to safeguard our nation’s security and protect our critical infrastructure,” he said. “Put simply, today is a milestone for our naval service.

“These vessels, the LÉ Aoibhinn and the LÉ Gobnait, represent the beginning of a new era for the Irish Naval Service, and their commissioning marks an important occasion.

“Extensive work has been undertaken over the past year, ensuring that these vessels are equipped for our specific needs and are ready to deploy with a very clear mission along our Eastern coast.

“In taking up this role, they will free up the rest of our fleet to focus on vital operations elsewhere.”

The procurement of the IPVs, he said, is evidence of the Government’s commitment to maritime security, and should serve as a “very clear signal of future intent in this area”.

Addressing staffing challenges within the Defence Forces, he said: “In common with other international militaries, the Defence Forces is facing a challenging environment at present and, as minister for defence, in addition to a programme of cultural transformation, my focus has been on stabilising the numbers of personnel and facilitating the capacity for further increases and a number of specific actions in the area of retention have already been delivered.”

Among the actions being taken to recruit and retain staff, Mr Martin said, is an increase in the mandatory retirement age to 62, an increase to 39 in the maximum recruitment age, along with “significant progress on pay”, particularly for new recruits.

At the ceremony, the Tánaiste also announced that the Sea-going Naval Personnel Tax Credit will be extended for a further five years. Concluding, he wished “fair winds” to those who will sail on the new IPVs.

At the commissioning yesterday, Lieutenant Commander Aonghus Ó Neachtain and Lieutenant Commander Aisling O’Flynn, who will take command of the two new IPVs, were presented with the ships’ commissioning warrants — documents signed by the minister on behalf of the Government granting both ships commission to Irish State ships status.

Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Michael Malone, said the new ships will perform a range of taskings.

“Both of these vessels represent a welcome addition to our naval fleet and will be deployed with a focus on conducting maritime defence and security operations along our east coast in the Irish Sea,” he said.

“Operating in an increasingly contested maritime domain, these vessels will be tasked, among others, with ensuring the security of undersea fibre optic cables, which represent vital but vulnerable components of our international communications infrastructure, as well as our subsea interconnector pipelines which, as an island nation, we rely so heavily on.”