Martin Brady
Ceist:241 Mr. M. Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number and type of vessels attached to the Naval Service; and the age profile in this regard. [28367/98]
Written Answers. - Naval Service Vessels.
At present the Naval Service has a total of seven all-weather vessels comprising: (i) LE Deirdre OPV – Commissioned May 1972, (ii) LE Emer OPV – Commissioned January 1978, (iii) LE Aoife OPV – Commissioned November 1979, (iv) LE Aisling OPV – Commissioned May 1980, (v) LE Eithne HPV – Commissioned December 1984, (vi) LE Orla CPV – Commissioned (NS) January 1989, (vii) LE Ciara CPV – Commissioned (NS) January 1989.
The first five vessels were constructed at Verolme Cork Dockyard. LE Orla and LE Ciara, which were acquired from the British Ministry of Defence in 1988, were built in 1984 and commissioned for the Royal Navy in 1985.
The three classes of patrol vessel in service with the Naval Service are:–
OPV – denoting Off-shore Patrol Vessel – all-weather suitable for patrol duties around the entire coast.
HPV – denoting Helicopter carrying Patrol Vessel – all-weather suitable for patrol duties around the entire coast.
CPV – denoting Coastal Patrol Vessel – suitable for all-weather inshore patrol duties.