#GalwayHarbour - The mid-west city of Galway is to be twinned with the Irish Naval Service newest ship, LÉ William Butler Yeats, at a reception this weekend to mark and honour the relationship between the city and vessel.

As the Galway Advertiser writes, the ceremony, hosted by Galway City Council, will take place this Saturday, September 15.

It will be attended by Fine Gael Galway West TD and Minister of State for Natural Resources and Digital Development Seán Kyne, who will represent the Minister with responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe.

For more on the twinning of the newest OPV P60 class vessel in service, click here. 

The Irish Times reports that the Naval Service has detained a Spanish fishing vessel that had more than 5,000 shark fins.

Last week, the Virxen da Blanca, one of a fleet longline fishing for shark of the South West, was escorted to Castletownbere after it was boarded by a team from the LÉ William Butler Yeats, who found more than a tonne of shark fins on board.

The EU banned the removal of shark fins at sea in 2013. However, it’s being reported in the Spanish press that the boat's operators claim Irish authorities have misinterpreted the regulations over which fins may or may not be removed.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#NavyNews - On visit to Cork Harbour writes the Irish Examiner, the Prince of Wales discovered that piloting a ship is like riding a bike – you never lose the knack.

More than 40 years after he commanded a British warship during his Royal Navy days he returned to the bridge – albeit a simulator with a very realistic 180-degree projection of the sea.

Charles, who captained the mine hunter HMS Bronington for 10 months in 1976, joined naval students at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) near Cork for the trip down memory lane.

At first, Lieutenant Gavin McCarthy, a navigation instructor, called out the manoeuvres for the ship WB Yeats which Charles repeated for those training for a career on the seas.

WB Yeats – a mock-up of a real off-shore patrol vessel – was in waters off the town of Cobh, famous for being the last port of call for the Titanic before it set off on its ill-fated journey.

Charles marvelled at the scene in front of him which gave a real-time feel to the movement of the ship, especially when stormy waters were introduced with the click of a mouse and he said “it’s extraordinary” as the projection outside the windows appeared to make the ship move up and down over the waves.

For further reading of the historic visit to the naval base, click here.

#Navy - The Naval Service has posted to its Facebook page a remarkable video captured by drone of the LÉ William Butler Yeats carefully berthing in its home port at Haulbowline in Cork Harbour.

The €66 million vessel, which was formally commissioned into service in October 2016, can be seen being slowly but surely positioned by a small but powerful tug alongside a sister ship — the two Naval Service vessels almost kissing at the bow.

LÉ William Butler Yeats is the third of three newly commissioned navy ships, after leadship LÉ Samuel Beckett and LÉ James Joyce, constructed by Babcock Marine Appledore in Devon, UK.

The ship spent much of 2017 on humanitarian patrol in the Mediterranean, where the Government has pledged to send two Naval Service ships this year as part of the EU’s mission to rescue migrants and reduce people-smuggling.

#Navy - A Naval Service seaman has expressed his gratitude to the Spanish coastguard for saving his life, after he fell ill while on humanitarian duty in the Mediterranean.

According to the Irish Examiner, Craig Clear was airlifted to Almeira from the deck of the LÉ William Butler Yeats on Tuesday (18 July) after suffering a collapsed lung and severed arteries.

But after two successful surgeries, the Co Laois man is in recovery — and on Wednesday he took to social media to share his gratitude to the helicopter rescue team from the Salvamento Maritimo.

The LÉ William Butler Yeats arrived in the Mediterranean on Monday (17 July) to take over from the returning LÉ Eithne, which is due in Cork Harbour today, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#OPV90named - A new Irish Naval Service vessel costing in the region of €66m has been formally commissioned at a ceremony in Galway Port, reports RTE News.

After an address by the Taoiseach at Galway Harbour yesterday, the LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63) was officially named by a granddaughter of the poet, Caitriona Yeats.

The formal commissioning followed, before Lieutenant Commander Eric Timon led the crew aboard.

The LÉ William Butler Yeats replaces the LÉ Aisling in the naval fleet, after the latter was decommissioned last May.

Afloat adds that the third OPV90 class newbuild built by Babcock Marine, Appledore in the UK had paid a visit to Dun Laoghaire Harbour in late September.

She follows leadship LÉ Samuel Beckett and LÉ James Joyce, also completed by the north Devon shipyard. In recent weeks this pair switched deployment duties in providing humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean Sea. 

#FirstVisit - LÉ William Butler Yeats, the third OPV90 class with another sister on order costing €55m, departed Dun Laoghaire Harbour having made a maiden call this weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The latest OPV90 class otherwise known as the ‘Samuel Beckett’ series named after the leadship, has been in Irish waters since July following a delivery voyage to Cork Harbour from UK shipbuilder, Babcock Marine. At the time of launch, the Naval Service announced “preparatory work for the contract extension to build a fourth OPV was well underway with production due to start in August.”

As reported yesterday LÉ William Butler Yeats was alongside Dun Laoghaire's Carlisle Pier, where almost a year ago second sister, LÉ James Joyce was named at the same quay. L.É. Samuel Beckett is currently returning to the Mediterranean to replace L.É. James Joyce. She is heading back home next Friday after a three month migrant search and rescue deployment at sea. 

Adjacent of the Carlisle Pier is the East Pier, easily the more popular of Dun Laoghaire's two piers, where strollers could see the 1,900 displacement tonnes vessel. The newcomer which has a crew of 44 personal and is equipped notably with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). They are used for a variety of tasks, among them covert drug interdiction duties and pollution detection.

In addition the OPV's 90m long hull is to improve sea keeping characteristics, to cope when patrolling the more exposed Atlantic Ocean. At the stern there is a derrick crane and additional space for deck cargo, i.e. TEU sized containers (for stores, supplies and equipment), varying to what is required when on deployment.

The OPV90 trio represent phase one of a modernisation/ vessel replacement programme that has led all ageing ‘Emer’ OPV class decommissioned, though the disposal of LÉ Aisling remains to be seen. With the entry of LÉ William Butler Yeats, she along with her sister make up the largest of the same class out of fleet of eight, that includes a similar pair of the ‘Roisin’ class OPV80 sisters.

Next month, a twinning ceremony of LÉ William Butler Yeats is to be held next month Galway. The City of the Tribes is the adopted homeport of her direct predecessor, LÉ Aisling.

The veteran vessel likewise of her older sisters was built by Verolme Cork Dockyard, with LÉ Aisling commissioned in 1980. She would serve a 36 year career until this summer when she was decommissioned.

#FirstVisit - The newest Naval Service patrol vessel, LÉ William Butler Yeats, the third so far of the OPV90 class has made a maiden call to Dun Laoghaire Harbour this afternoon, writes Jehan Ashmore.

LÉ William Butler Yeats made her delivery voyage from UK shipbuilders to Cork Harbour in July, had berthed alongside Dun Laoghaire's Carlisle Pier (No 2 berth) this afternoon. The 90m newbuild will remain until Sunday afternoon. On this first call the OPV will not be open to the public.

A twinning ceremony of LÉ William Butler Yeats is to he held next month in city of Galway, the adopted homeport of her direct replacement, LÉ Aisling. The veteran Emer class OPV dating from 1980 was in the summer decommissioned. 

Designed by Vard Marine and built at Babcock Marine in Appledore, north Devon, the newbuild follows a previous pair of the OPV90 class or Samuel Beckett-class in which the namesake ship departed Cork Harbour today to the Mediterranean. This is her second deployment for search and rescue mission of migrants.

The second OPV sister LÉ James Joyce, last year was named at a ceremony held in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, whereas proceedings for the LÉ Samuel Beckett took place at Dublin’s city quays.

Together they were ordered by the Department of Defence under a £81m contract from Babcock Marine in October 2010, with the option of a third vessel.

LÉ William Butler Yeats which was floated out in March at the Appledore shipyard near Bideford.

#Navy - Taoiseach Enda Kenny will officiate the twinning of the new Naval Service vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats with the city of Galway on Monday 17 October, as the Connacht Tribune reports.

The City of the Tribes was previously linked with the LÉ Aisling, which was decommissioned this past summer and is now being proposed as the home of a floating museum in Galway Docks.

Designed by Vard Marine and built by Babcock Marine in Appledore, north Devon, LÉ William Butler Yeats is in the same class OPV90 as sister ships LÉ Samuel Beckett and LÉ James Joyce, delivered in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

On a visit to the new vessel in Haulbowline last month, Defence Minister Paul Kehoe described its arrival and entry into service as "another key milestone in the history of the Naval Service".

#NewestOPV90 - The newest addition to the Naval Service fleet, the OPV90 class LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63) was boarded by Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Mr. Paul Kehoe yesterday Haulbowline, Cork Harbour

The Minister was welcomed on board by the Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service Commodore Hugh Tully and the ship’s Captain Lieutenant Commander Eric Timon.

The ship is the same class as LÉ Samuel Beckett (P61), delivered in 2014 and LÉ James Joyce (P62) delivered in 2015. The ship recently completed successful Sea Acceptance Trials in the United Kingdom and arrived in the Naval Base last month on Saturday 23rd July, following a handover from the shipyard as previously reported on Afloat.ie

LÉ William Butler Yeats will be formally commissioned later in the autumn and is replacing the recently decommissioned LÉ Aisling (P23) in service.

Minister Kehoe said that “the arrival of LÉ William Butler Yeats and its entry into service is another key milestone in the history of the Naval Service. In light of operational demands the provision of key equipment such as this is extremely important. I am pleased that the ship is destined to play an integral part in the protection of Irish maritime waters for many years to come and will also be available to participate in humanitarian operations such as Operation Pontus in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Government remains fully committed to ensuring that appropriate resources are provided going forward to enable the Defence Forces to carry out all of the roles assigned to them. The Government has provided a significant boost in capital funding for the Defence Sector for the period up to 2021, which will allow for considerable investment in equipment and infrastructure based on the priorities set out in the White Paper on Defence.”

The Minister went on to wish the Captain and his crew the best of luck as they continue to work the ship up to full operational capacity.