The former flagship of the Naval Service, LÉ Eithne, RTE News reports, has departed the naval base at Haulbowline, Cork Harbour for the final time.

Built as a Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), the 1,920 tonnes ship is to be taken apart for scrap after hopes to convert the 84-metre vessel into a museum never materialised.

The twin-funneled LÉ Eithne was built at the Verolme Cork Dockyard (V.C.D.) in Rushbrooke, (neighbouring Cobh), in 1984 as the last ship launched from the shipyard before it closed that same year.

The HPV was the last and largest vessel built by V.C.D. for the Naval Service and to have helicopter capability, but as Afloat.ie, highlights the LÉ Eithne is also historically significant, given that it was the final ship ever to be built in a shipyard within the Irish Republic.

LÉ Eithne, which had a crew complement of 86 (9 officers and 77 ratings), served for 38 years on missions at home and abroad before it was decommissioned in July 2022. In addition, the twin Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV) LÉ Ciara and LÉ Orla, also built in 1984, were decommissioned on the same day as the flagship.

Efforts to secure the former HPV involved Cork County Council, which was interested in having the vessel as a potential tourist attraction; however, it was decided that the plan would not be viable.

More here on the LÉ Eithne, which departed the base yesterday and follows a career involving several firsts for the Naval Service flagship, which has formed a major part of Irish maritime heritage. Among the notable firsts, saw the ship visit the southern hemisphere with calls to South America in 2006. 

The HPV was named after Eithne, daughter of King Balor, who imprisoned her in a tower on Tory Island, Co. Donegal, as depicted on the ship's crest.