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Displaying items by tag: DBSC

The 1720 sportsboat Optique held off a strong challenge from three different J-Boat designs to win the first race of the AIB DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Sunday morning.

The Dublin Bay-based cruiser racer one-design keelboat fleet series hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club attracted a 68-boat entry for the race in medium westerly winds.

The J109 Blast on Chimaera finished second, with sistership White Mischief in third. A third J109 Riders on the Storm was fourth, with J97 Windjammer fifth and the larger J112e Valentina sixth. 

Results are downloadable below, with handicaps and starts for the first race.

For the third year running, there were five separate starts, such is the range of boats now competing.

Racing continues next Sunday.

Published in Turkey Shoot
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Dublin Bay Sailing Club 2023 Turkey Shoot Series has reached a fleet of over sixty ahead of Sunday's (November 5th) first of seven pre-Christmas races off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

It looks like the winter series will get off to an ideal start with moderate to fresh westerly winds forecast for Dublin Bay. It will be bright and breezy with sunny spells and passing brief showers. Visibility is forecast to be good. Sea state moderate but rough well offshore.

As entries for the popular series closed this week, organisers confirmed some long-distance travellers for the fun series.

As Afloat reported earlier, Sean Hawkshaw's Sligo-based Sigma 38 Wardance is among the runners, as is Stuart Harris's Moxy II, an X322 from Waterford Harbour.

In an eve of race announcement, organiser Fintan Cairns has highlighted Sailing Instruction 14 re Bowsprits and SI 17.4 re DLRCC Yellow buoys for swimmers. Download the full SIs below. 

From among Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs, Brendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. George is racing, as is Patrick Burke's First 40, Prima Forte from the host club. 

John Treanor's new J112e Valentina from the National Yacht Club is entered, and so is Hal Sisk's newly restored Marian Maid, a classic 8-metre from 1954.

Organisers are now expecting to match or exceed last year's bumper fleet for the series that runs up to December 17th. 

Now in its 23rd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Published in Turkey Shoot
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Yachts from Sligo and Dunmore East will race in this year's popular DBSC 'Turkey Shoot' Winter Sailing Series that starts on Dublin Bay in less than a fortnight.

With over a week before entries close, the popular event already has 45 entries, putting it on target for its usual bumper fleet of 70 boats or more.

Sean Hawkshaw's Sligo-based Sigma 38 Wardance is among the runners, as is Stuart Harris's Moxy II, an X322 from Waterford Harbour.

Brendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. GeorgeBrendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. George Photo: Afloat

From among Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs, Brendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. George is racing, as is Patrick Burke's First 40, Prima Forte from the host club. 

John Treanor's new J112e Valentina from the National Yacht Club is entered, and so is Hal Sisk's newly restored Marian Maid, a classic 8-metre from 1954.

Hal Sisk's restored 8-metre Marian Maid Hal Sisk's restored 8-metre Marian Maid Photo: Bob Bateman

Dublin Bay Sailing Club has already issued the advance notice of race for the first race on Sunday, 5th November. 

"This is a series for keelboats, cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome," race organiser Fintan Cairns told Afloat.

Now in its 23rd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be co-hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

Last year, a massive 78-boat entry gathered for the short and sharp morning racing that promises to have everyone ashore by lunchtime.

As Afloat reported, Kenny Rumball's RS21 was the first entry received

The last date for entries is Wednesday, 1st November.

Published in Turkey Shoot
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Dublin Bay Sailing Club has issued the advance notice of its popular 'Turkey Shoot' winter sailing series that starts on Sunday, 5th November.

Now in its 23rd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be co-hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

Last year, a massive 78-boat entry gathered for the short and sharp morning racing that promises to have everyone ashore by lunchtime.

A progressive handicap on a time-on-time basis will be used. 

As regular Afloat readers will know, the white-sailed First 31.7 'Avalon' was the overall winner of the 22nd edition.

A Notice of Race is downloadable below.

Race organiser Fintan Cairns, who has run the series since inception,  has urged skippers to enter early to ease the administrative burden, with one entry received already in the shape of Kenny Rumball's RS 21 keelboat.

"This is a series for keelboats, cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome," he told Afloat.

The last date for entries is Wednesday, 1st November.

"Handicaps of late entries (and incorrect sail nos.!) will be adjusted accordingly!" Cairns says.

Published in Turkey Shoot
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The final DBSC Saturday Summer Series racing was cancelled on Dublin Bay today for all classes when southerly winds reached 35 knots off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Results in all classes are below

Published in DBSC
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Tim Goodbody's J109 White Mischief won the penultimate Saturday race in Dublin Bay Sailing Club's AIB Summer Series on September 23rd. 

The Royal Irish crew finished Saturday's IRC Cruisers One race in a corrected time of one hour 37 minutes and 10 seconds to be clear ahead of clubmate Fintan Cairns and his Mills 31 crew on Raptor, finishing in a time of 1:43:13. John Hall's J109, Something Else from the National Yacht Club, was third on 1:43:35.

Overall, after 14 races sailed and with 11 races counted, Goodbody leads the Saturday Series with 15 points from Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple on 20. Something Else is third on 35.5.

The final Saturday race of the season takes place on September 30th.

Full results in all DBSC classes are below.

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Although northeasterly winds gusting to 25 knots and big seas on Dublin Bay led to the cancellation of some DBSC Saturday Series racing, the club's blue fleet raced.

Racing was held for 31.7s, Cruisers Two and Cruisers Three.

National Champion Chris Johnston continues his domination of the 31.7s with another win today in a reduced fleet of three boats. 

Two DBSC Saturday races are left in the 2023 calendar.

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With Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Saturday racing starred in IRC Zero and One due to the annual ICRA cruiser-racer National Championships in Howth, a five-boat IRC Two division was won by Lindsay Casey's J97 Windjammer and Ed Melvin's Ceol na Mara was the winner of IRC Three.

A south-easterly sea breeze of less than 10 knots prevailed for the fourth last Saturday race of the AIB Summer Series.

In the one design fleets, a 15-boat turnout of Flying Fifteens was won by Shane McCarthy in Mr Potato Head of the National Yacht Club. Recently crowned 31.7 national champions, Chris Johnston sailing Prospect of the National Yacht Club, won again in a five-boat turnout. The Royal Irish's Joe Smyth topped a seven-boat Beneteau 211 fleet.

Full results in all classes are below.

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It's not often Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) racers don shorts and T-shirts for AIB Saturday Series racing – and rarer still in September – but today's 2nd September fixture presented such an opportunity with a warm sea breeze of up to ten knots on Dublin Bay.

There was an individual recall in the Cruisers One start, with four boats on course side (OCS), but all four (Something Else, Powder Monkey, Ruth and Raptor) returned with the Mills 31 Raptor skippered by Fintan Cairns managing to take second on IRC rating in the ten boat race despite the start line blip.

The Race Officer was Con Murphy.

Timothy Goodbody's J109 White Mischief of the Royal Irish was the race winner in a corrected time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 11 seconds. Clubmate Raptor finished in 1:31:14, corrected with another RIYC entry, Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple, third in a corrected time of  1:31:24.

With four Saturday races left to sail in the 2023 Series, White Mischief leads on 14 points from Bon Exemple on 16, with John Hall's J109 Something Else from the National Yacht Club lying third on 32.5.

Full DBSC results in all classes below.

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John Power's Beneteau 31.7 Levante from the National Yacht Club was the winner of DBSC's final Thursday night AIB Summer Series 2023 race on Dublin Bay on August 31st. 

The overall series leader, Chris Johnston's Prospect, was second in an eight-boat fleet, with a third NYC boat, Michael Bryson's Bluefin Two, third. 

Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple won Thursday's race 18 in the IRC One division in a corrected time of 44 minutes and 40 seconds from John Maybury's Joker 2 (0:45:13 corrected). Third was the Mills 31 Raptor
skipped by Fintan Cairns (0:47:28 corr).

In the last race before the class national championships this weekend on Belfast Lough, Philip Lawton's Puffling won the Flying Fifteen race with only two finishers. Niall Coleman in Flyer was second. 

All DBSC results are below.

 

 

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About the Irish Navy

The Navy maintains a constant presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout Ireland’s enormous and rich maritime jurisdiction, upholding Ireland’s sovereign rights. The Naval Service is tasked with a variety of roles including defending territorial seas, deterring intrusive or aggressive acts, conducting maritime surveillance, maintaining an armed naval presence, ensuring right of passage, protecting marine assets, countering port blockades; people or arms smuggling, illegal drugs interdiction, and providing the primary diving team in the State.

The Service supports Army operations in the littoral and by sealift, has undertaken supply and reconnaissance missions to overseas peace support operations and participates in foreign visits all over the world in support of Irish Trade and Diplomacy.  The eight ships of the Naval Service are flexible and adaptable State assets. Although relatively small when compared to their international counterparts and the environment within which they operate, their patrol outputs have outperformed international norms.

The Irish Naval Service Fleet

The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency. The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps.

The fleet comprises one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with state of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

LÉ EITHNE P31

LE Eithne was built in Verlome Dockyard in Cork and was commissioned into service in 1984. She patrols the Irish EEZ and over the years she has completed numerous foreign deployments.

Type Helicopter Patrol Vessel
Length 80.0m
Beam 12m
Draught 4.3m
Main Engines 2 X Ruston 12RKC Diesels6, 800 HP2 Shafts
Speed 18 knots
Range 7000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 55 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 7 December 1984

LÉ ORLA P41

L.É. Orla was formerly the HMS SWIFT a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in 1993 when she conducted the biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at the time, with her interception and boarding at sea of the 65ft ketch, Brime.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ CIARA P42

L.É. Ciara was formerly the HMS SWALLOW a British Royal Navy patrol vessel stationed in the waters of Hong Kong. She was purchased by the Irish State in 1988. She scored a notable operational success in Nov 1999 when she conducted the second biggest drug seizure in the history of the state at that time, with her interception and boarding at sea of MV POSIDONIA of the south-west coast of Ireland.

Type Coastal Patrol Vessel
Length 62.6m
Beam 10m
Draught 2.7m
Main Engines 2 X Crossley SEMT- Pielstick Diesels 14,400 HP 2 Shafts
Speed 25 + Knots
Range 2500 Nautical Miles @ 17 knots
Crew 39 (5 Officers)

LÉ ROISIN P51

L.É. Roisin (the first of the Roisín class of vessel) was built in Appledore Shipyards in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She was built to a design that optimises her patrol performance in Irish waters (which are some of the roughest in the world), all year round. For that reason a greater length overall (78.8m) was chosen, giving her a long sleek appearance and allowing the opportunity to improve the conditions on board for her crew.

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ NIAMH P52

L.É. Niamh (the second of the Róisín class) was built in Appledore Shipyard in the UK for the Naval Service in 2001. She is an improved version of her sister ship, L.É.Roisin

Type Long Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 78.84m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 X Twin 16 cly V26 Wartsila 26 medium speed Diesels
5000 KW at 1,000 RPM 2 Shafts
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)
Commissioned 18 September 2001

LÉ SAMUEL BECKETT P61

LÉ Samuel Beckett is an Offshore Patrol Vessel built and fitted out to the highest international standards in terms of safety, equipment fit, technological innovation and crew comfort. She is also designed to cope with the rigours of the North-East Atlantic.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ JAMES JOYCE P62

LÉ James Joyce is an Offshore Patrol Vessel and represents an updated and lengthened version of the original RÓISÍN Class OPVs which were also designed and built to the Irish Navy specifications by Babcock Marine Appledore and she is truly a state of the art ship. She was commissioned into the naval fleet in September 2015. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to end of September 2016, rescuing 2491 persons and recovering the bodies of 21 deceased

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS P63

L.É. William Butler Yeats was commissioned into the naval fleet in October 2016. Since then she has been constantly engaged in Maritime Security and Defence patrolling of the Irish coast. She has also deployed to the Defence Forces mission in the Mediterranean from July to October 2017, rescuing 704 persons and recovering the bodies of three deceased.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

LÉ GEORGE BERNARD SHAW P64

LÉ George Bernard Shaw (pennant number P64) is the fourth and final ship of the P60 class vessels built for the Naval Service in Babcock Marine Appledore, Devon. The ship was accepted into State service in October 2018, and, following a military fit-out, commenced Maritime Defence and Security Operations at sea.

Type Offshore Patrol Vessel
Length 90.0m
Beam 14m
Draught 3.8m
Main Engines 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines and Power Take In, 2 x shafts, 10000kw
Speed 23 knots
Range 6000 Nautical Miles @ 15 knots
Crew 44 (6 Officers)

Ship information courtesy of the Defence Forces

Irish Navy FAQs

The Naval Service is the Irish State's principal seagoing agency with "a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements". It is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles.

The Naval Service is based in Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour, with headquarters in the Defence Forces headquarters in Dublin.

The Naval Service provides the maritime component of the Irish State's defence capabilities and is the State's principal seagoing agency. It "protects Ireland's interests at and from the sea, including lines of communication, fisheries and offshore resources" within the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps as part of the Irish defence forces.

The Naval Service was established in 1946, replacing the Marine and Coastwatching Service set up in 1939. It had replaced the Coastal and Marine Service, the State's first marine service after independence, which was disbanded after a year. Its only ship was the Muirchú, formerly the British armed steam yacht Helga, which had been used by the Royal Navy to shell Dublin during the 1916 Rising. In 1938, Britain handed over the three "treaty" ports of Cork harbour, Bere haven and Lough Swilly.

The Naval Service has nine ships - one Helicopter Patrol Vessel (HPV), three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two Large Patrol Vessel (LPV) and two Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPV). Each vessel is equipped with State of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems.

The ships' names are prefaced with the title of Irish ship or "long Éireannach" (LE). The older ships bear Irish female names - LÉ Eithne, LÉ Orla, LÉ Ciara, LÉ Roisín, and LÉ Niamh. The newer ships, named after male Irish literary figures, are LÉ Samuel Beckett, LÉ James Joyce, LÉ William Butler Yeats and LÉ George Bernard Shaw.

Yes. The 76mm Oto Melara medium calibre naval armament is the most powerful weapon in the Naval Services arsenal. The 76mm is "capable of engaging naval targets at a range of up to 17km with a high level of precision, ensuring that the Naval Service can maintain a range advantage over all close-range naval armaments and man-portable weapon systems", according to the Defence Forces.

The Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and Training (FORST) unit is responsible for the coordination of the fleet needs. Ships are maintained at the Mechanical Engineering and Naval Dockyard Unit at Ringaskiddy, Cork harbour.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

The Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service (FOCNS) is Commodore Michael Malone. The head of the Defence Forces is a former Naval Service flag officer, now Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett – appointed in 2015 and the first Naval Service flag officer to hold this senior position. The Flag Officer oversees Naval Operations Command, which is tasked with the conduct of all operations afloat and ashore by the Naval Service including the operations of Naval Service ships. The Naval Operations Command is split into different sections, including Operations HQ and Intelligence and Fishery Section.

The Intelligence and Fishery Section is responsible for Naval Intelligence, the Specialist Navigation centre, the Fishery Protection supervisory and information centre, and the Naval Computer Centre. The Naval Intelligence Cell is responsible for the collection, collation and dissemination of naval intelligence. The Navigation Cell is the naval centre for navigational expertise.

The Fishery Monitoring Centre provides for fishery data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination to the Naval Service and client agencies, including the State's Sea Fisheries Protection Agency. The centre also supervises fishery efforts in the Irish EEZ and provides data for the enhanced effectiveness of fishery protection operations, as part of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The Naval Computer Centre provides information technology (IT) support service to the Naval Service ashore and afloat.

This headquarters includes specific responsibility for the Executive/Operations Branch duties. The Naval Service Operations Room is a coordination centre for all NS current Operations. The Naval Service Reserve Staff Officer is responsible for the supervision, regulation and training of the reserve. The Diving section is responsible for all aspects of Naval diving and the provision of a diving service to the Naval Service and client agencies. The Ops Security Section is responsible for the coordination of base security and the coordination of all shore-based security parties operating away from the Naval base. The Naval Base Comcen is responsible for the running of a communications service. Boat transport is under the control of Harbour Master Naval Base, who is responsible for the supervision of berthage at the Naval Base and the provision of a boat service, including the civilian manned ferry service from Haulbowline.

Naval Service ships have undertaken trade and supply missions abroad, and personnel have served as peacekeepers with the United Nations. In 2015, Naval Service ships were sent on rotation to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean as part of a bi-lateral arrangement with Italy, known as Operation Pontus. Naval Service and Army medical staff rescued some 18,000 migrants, either pulling people from the sea or taking them off small boats, which were often close to capsizing having been towed into open water and abandoned by smugglers. Irish ships then became deployed as part of EU operations in the Mediterranean, but this ended in March 2019 amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the EU.

Essentially, you have to be Irish, young (less than 32), in good physical and mental health and with normal vision. You must be above 5'2″, and your weight should be in keeping with your age.

Yes, women have been recruited since 1995. One of the first two female cadets, Roberta O'Brien from the Glen of Aherlow in Co Tipperary, became its first female commander in September 2020. Sub Lieutenant Tahlia Britton from Donegal also became the first female diver in the navy's history in the summer of 2020.

A naval cadet enlists for a cadetship to become an officer in the Defence Forces. After successfully completing training at the Naval Service College, a cadet is commissioned into the officer ranks of the Naval Service as a Ensign or Sub Lieutenant.

A cadet trains for approximately two years duration divided into different stages. The first year is spent in military training at the Naval Base in Haulbowline, Cork. The second-year follows a course set by the National Maritime College of Ireland course. At the end of the second year and on completion of exams, and a sea term, the cadets will be qualified for the award of a commission in the Permanent Defence Force as Ensign.

The Defence Forces say it is looking for people who have "the ability to plan, prioritise and organise", to "carefully analyse problems, in order to generate appropriate solutions, who have "clear, concise and effective communication skills", and the ability to "motivate others and work with a team". More information is on the 2020 Qualifications Information Leaflet.

When you are 18 years of age or over and under 26 years of age on the date mentioned in the notice for the current competition, the officer cadet competition is held annually and is the only way for potential candidates to join the Defence Forces to become a Naval Service officer. Candidates undergo psychometric and fitness testing, an interview and a medical exam.
The NMCI was built beside the Naval Service base at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, and was the first third-level college in Ireland to be built under the Government's Public-Private Partnership scheme. The public partners are the Naval Service and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the private partner is Focus Education.
A Naval Service recruit enlists for general service in the "Other Ranks" of the Defence Forces. After successfully completing the initial recruit training course, a recruit passes out as an Ordinary Seaman and will then go onto their branch training course before becoming qualified as an Able Body sailor in the Naval Service.
No formal education qualifications are required to join the Defence Forces as a recruit. You need to satisfy the interview board and the recruiting officer that you possess a sufficient standard of education for service in the Defence Forces.
Recruit training is 18 weeks in duration and is designed to "develop a physically fit, disciplined and motivated person using basic military and naval skills" to "prepare them for further training in the service. Recruits are instilled with the Naval Service ethos and the values of "courage, respect, integrity and loyalty".
On the progression up through the various ranks, an Able Rate will have to complete a number of career courses to provide them with training to develop their skills in a number of areas, such as leadership and management, administration and naval/military skills. The first of these courses is the Naval Service Potential NCO course, followed by the Naval Service Standard NCO course and the Naval Service senior NCO course. This course qualifies successful candidates of Petty officer (or Senior Petty Officer) rank to fill the rank of Chief Petty Officer upwards. The successful candidate may also complete and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, Management and Naval Studies in partnership with Cork Institute of Technology.
Pay has long been an issue for just the Naval Service, at just over 1,000 personnel. Cadets and recruits are required to join the single public service pension scheme, which is a defined benefit scheme, based on career-average earnings. For current rates of pay, see the Department of Defence website.