Written past times D-Mitch
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The Force is strong amongst the Irish Gaelic Naval Service!
Samuel Beckett crest, a photograph past times Salvador de la Rubia |
The Naval Service (Irish: an tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime element of the Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland together with is 1 of the 3 branches of the Irish Gaelic Defence Forces. The Naval Service provides the maritime element of the State's Defence capabilities together with is the State's principal seagoing agency. The Naval Service operates jointly amongst the Army together with Air Corps. Its base of operations is inwards Haulbowline, County Cork. The Naval Service is tasked amongst a diversity of roles including defending territorial seas, deterring intrusive or aggressive acts, conducting maritime surveillance, maintaining an armed naval presence, ensuring correct of passage, protecting marine assets, countering port blockades; people or arms smuggling, illegal drugs interdiction, together with providing the primary diving squad inwards the State. The Service supports Army operations inwards the littoral together with past times body of body of water lift, has undertaken furnish together with reconnaissance missions to overseas peace back upwards operations together with participates inwards unusual visits all over the basis inwards back upwards of Irish Gaelic Trade together with Diplomacy.
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The flagship of the Irish Gaelic Naval Service, LÉ Eithne, inwards formation amongst Emer
class (retired) together with Roisin storey offshore patrol vessels. |
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| Irish Air Corps CN-235 |
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| Irish Air Corps AW139 |
As of May 2016, at that topographic point are 1,094 personnel of all ranks inwards the Naval Service, addition around 150 inwards the Naval Service Reserve. The Naval Service is headed past times a General Officer Commanding (GOC) known equally the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service (FOCNS), who holds the rank of Commodore. The electrical flow fleet consists of eight (8) patrol ships of which the bulk is modern offshore patrol vessels. The Naval Service likewise operates smaller preparation vessels together with rigid-hulled inflatable boats. Air assets to back upwards naval patrols are provided past times the Air Corps amongst their 2 CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft together with half-dozen AW139 helicopters operated from Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, County Dublin.
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The 2 Roisin storey offshore patrol vessels of the Irish Gaelic Naval Service. Photo past times John Mc Garry
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| LÉ Samuel Beckett |
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| LÉ Eithne |
The ship prefix LÉ stands for Long Éireannach, "Irish ship" inwards the Irish Gaelic language. The offshore patrol vessel LÉ Eithne is the electrical flow flagship of the Naval Service. Until 2014, all Naval Service vessels were named amongst traditional Irish Gaelic woman somebody names, taken from history together with Celtic mythology. However, the 3 newest Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessels inwards the fleet, LÉ Samuel Beckett (commissioned 17 May 2014), LÉ James Joyce (commissioned inwards September 2015) together with LÉ William Butler Yeats (commissioned 17 Oct 2016) stimulate got their names from Irish Gaelic literary figures. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fourth, to last named George Bernard Shaw, was ordered for delivery past times 2018. The Samuel Beckett-class OPVs supervene upon the older Emer storey patrol vessels. The Samuel Becketts are built together with fitted out to the highest international standards inwards price of safety, equipment fit, technological conception together with crew comfort.
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| Modified photograph of an Eithne storey offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Gaelic Naval Service. High resolution ikon here. |
The ships vary inwards size amongst the largest ones inwards the fleet, the novel Samuel Beckett-class OPVs, an updated together with to a greater extent than advanced pattern of the existing 80m-long Róisín-class vessels, having a xc meters length together with over 2,200 tons displacement at total charge piece the smallest ones, the 2 Peacock storey PCBs having 62 meters length together with virtually 700 tons displacement at total load.
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| Modified photograph of a Samuel Beckett storey offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Gaelic Naval Service. High resolution ikon here. |
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| OTO Melara 76mm gun |
The residuum of the ships are armed amongst an OTO Melara (now Leonardo) Super Rapido 3in (76.2mm) fully automatic gun installed forwards of the bridge. This gun tin privy hitting air together with surface targets at a distance of 16km (effective attain at 8km) together with thirteen km respectively amongst a charge per unit of measurement of burn downward around 85 (100 rounds amongst a particular retrofit kit) rounds per infinitesimal together with weight of compaction greater than 6 kg (12.34kg the consummate round).
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| Modified photograph of a Peacock storey offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Gaelic Naval Service. High resolution ikon here. |
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| Rh-202 of Samuel Beckett |
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| Rheinmetall 20mm Rh-202 |
All the offshore patrol vessels are armed amongst 2 Rheinmetall 20mm Rh-202 guns, a precision unopen attain naval armament amongst a high charge per unit of measurement of fire of upwards to G rounds per minute, a attain of over 7km together with high accuracy. The Rh-202 which is known likewise inwards German linguistic communication service equally Mk20 gun, it is a real reliable weapon, gas operated amongst double belt feed together with it fires unmarried shots or automatic burn downward at 900-1000rds/min (ammunition inwards 200 circular belts). The effective attain is to a greater extent than than 2km. With a particular mountain design, the firer remains inwards the upright seat for all elevations of firings. With a large diversity of specialist ammunition the Rheinmetall is a capable secondary armament together with is fitted onboard all Naval Service ships for unopen attain weapons back upwards together with anti-air betoken defence.
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| View of Samuel Beckett's Rh202 guns during an exercise |
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| Rheinmetall 20mm Rh-202 firing |
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| FN MAG 7.62mm calorie-free machine gun |
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| Eithne's FN MAG 7.62mm |
All the Irish Gaelic vessels stimulate got several mounts for either M2HB 12.7mm heavy machine guns or FN MAG 7.62mm calorie-free machine guns. M2HB has a charge per unit of measurement of burn downward around 550 rds/min amongst a attain of over 2km piece FN MAG has a charge per unit of measurement of burn downward about 600-1,000rds/min amongst a maximum attain of unopen to 2km.
All the ships are equipped amongst a diversity of satellite communication systems including VHF, HF, Inmarsat Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) together with Differential Global Positioning System (DFPS) together with secure communications. Moreover, each vessel carries 1 electro-optical multi-sensor for surveillance, tracking together with burn downward control.
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| Profile photograph of Roisin with all of its communication systems visible |
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| Radamec 1500 EO sensor |
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| Thales LIOD Mk1 |
On Eithne the sensor (after her refit) is the Thales LIOD Mk 1 which is for automatic, optronic tracking of air, for surface targets together with against asymmetric tactics such equally piracy together with insurgency. The basic sensor laid consists of TV together with IR cameras inwards combination amongst an eye-safe Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation range-finder. It is a passive sensor, which are hard to uncovering together with completely insensitive to ECM. On Róisín storey OPVs together with Peacock storey PCBs, the sensor is the Ultra Electronics Command together with Control Systems, Radamec 1500 optronic manager amongst a daylight TV camera, thermal imaging photographic idiot box camera together with eyesafe Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation rangefinder. The organization tin privy uncovering a pocket-sized patrol boat at ranges inwards excess of 7.4 kilometres black or day.
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| The commissioning ceremony of LÉ James Joyce |
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SATCOM of Peacock storey boat
Photo: Mr. "Red October" |
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| The commissioning ceremony of LÉ James Joyce |
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| Chess Dynamics Sea Eagle FCEO |
On the newest OPVs, the Samuel Beckett class, the sensor is the Chess Dynamics Sea Eagle FCEO which is optimised for the command of naval guns against air, surface together with shore targets. Capable of controlling whatever ‘in-service’ naval gun, the organization provides 24 hour, detection, acquisition, tracking, identification together with engagement of air together with surface targets through its thermal together with TV sensors amongst target attain provided past times a high repetition Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation rangefinder.
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| Roisin storey OPV LÉ Niamh with its erstwhile radars visible |
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| LÉ Roisin with her novel Kelvin Hughes radars visible |
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| Peacock storey LÉ Orla |
Τhe most modern patrol vessels inwards Irish Gaelic service, the Roisin storey (after a refit they were received) together with Samuel Beckett storey are equipped amongst Kelvin Hughes SharpEye navigation radars inwards S-band together with X-band. The SharpEye radar organization represents a radical together with innovative deviation from electrical flow marine navigation radar technology scientific discipline inwards that it has no magnetron together with uses a coherent transmission, making it capable of separating pocket-sized targets from clutter due to their differing radial velocity components. The Samuel Beckett storey stimulate got likewise the Kelvin Hughes MantaDigital workstations which is multi-function display platform that tin privy host radar, ECDIS together with conning functionality on a wide-screen display surface. The unmarried Eithne storey OPV has a Thales DA-05 S-band surveillance together with target indication radar, which is the most powerful radar inwards the Irish Gaelic Naval Service today (it tin privy uncovering a struggle 135km away), along amongst Decca (now Northrop Grumman) TM-1229C together with 1692C navigation radars. The two 2 Peacock storey coastal patrol vessels ship a Kelvin Hughes 500A surface search together with Mk.IV navigation radar.
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| James Joyce amongst all of its RHIBs but without her Rh202s |
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| Eithne carrying a Delta RHIB on her flying deck |
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SA365F Dauphin aboard Eithne's flying deck
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As it was mentioned earlier, Eithne was originally built equally a Helicopter Patrol Vessel for long attain fisheries patrol vessel, intended to last at body of body of water for upwards to thirty days. Eithne was designed to ship a SA365F Dauphin helicopter, together with is the exclusively ship today inwards the Irish Gaelic Naval Service fleet to stimulate got a flying deck. Helicopter operations stimulate got stopped inwards recent years, due inwards component subdivision to the buy of CASA CN235-100MP Persuader Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) together with decommissioning of the Dauphin helicopters. It should last noted likewise that the Samuel Beckett storey OPVs stimulate got an expanded deck expanse at the stern that volition allow inwards the hereafter the Naval Service to potentially deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the get-go time.Currently, this deck tin privy arrange 3 6.1m containers together with is provided amongst a large 5t crane.
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| MST RHIB of Samuel Beckett storey OPV |
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| Armed Delta RHIB inwards a parade |
All the vessels ship a large number of stiff hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). The Samuel Beckett storey vessels ship 2 MST 8-meter RHIBs at either side of the hull, piece a 3rd MST RHIB is housed inwards a cradle over the stern deck. All the RHIBs stimulate got mounts for an M2HB heavy machine gun or FN MAG. They are launched together with recovered past times unmarried betoken davits. The Roisin storey ships ship likewise 2 6.5-metre Delta RHIBs launched amongst davits, together with a unmarried Avon 5.4-meter RHIB. The Eithne carry equally good 2 6.5-metre Delta RHIBs (these are newer than Roisins' together with are are powered past times an inboard engine) launched amongst davits together with a 3rd similar RHIB aboard flying deck. The Peacock storey ship 2 Avon 5.4-meter RHIB each. Keep inwards heed though that the RHIBs are interchangeable betwixt vessels equipped amongst the Caley davits.
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One of the 3 Delta RHIB of Eithne. Notice the inboard diesel fuel engine
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One of the 3 Delta RHIB of Eithne. Notice the inboard diesel fuel engine
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| Avon RHIB |
As it is mentioned inwards the official website of the Irish Gaelic Naval Service, the vision of the Service is to last the smartest, most innovative together with responsive Naval Service provider inwards the world. Therefore, the Irish Gaelic authorities has issued a novel White Paper that aims to modernise the Irish Gaelic Naval Service (ISN) to include acquiring a multi-role vessel (MRV) together with 2 novel coastal patrol vessels (CPV). The newspaper on defense covers the side past times side 10 years together with encourages the usage of the novel ships for maintaining an eight-ship INS fleet equally Republic of Ireland looks to play an increasing role on the international stage.
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| LÉ Ciara. Photo past times Derry Walsh |
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| LÉ Orla |
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| LÉ Ciara. Photo past times Derry Walsh |
The novel vessels volition supervene upon the unmarried Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), LÉ Eithne, together with the 2 CPVs, LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla, acquired from the Royal Navy inwards 1988 (they were modernized) together with used primarily for inshore work. It is non clear if at the halt LÉ Eithne volition last replaced past times the 4th Samuel Beckett storey OPV which is currently nether structure together with volition last named George Bernard Shaw. Plans await that the 2 patrol coastal vessels, LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla, volition last replaced amongst similar vessels but amongst counter-mine together with counter-IED capabilities. Therefore, inwards the close future, the Irish Gaelic Naval Service volition stimulate got viii real modern patrol vessels.
The most of the photos (if non mentioned otherwise) were retrieved from the first-class Irish Defence Force's Flickr!
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| Beautiful photograph of a Samuel Beckett storey offshore patrol vessel |
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