An Cosantóir

15 CDR ROBERTA O'BRIEN An early trip was re-supplying Irish troops in Eritrea and then on to Malta where they hosted a reception onboard promoting Ireland. This she found an additional attraction in that they were doing their day-to-day work of Defence of the State but at the same time the ship was part of Ireland and could be used to promote the country for tourism and a place to do business. At the same time, there were very practical benefits for Roberta. She got to practice the Astro Navigation which was the old system of navigating by the stars. The recent mishap in the Suez Canal brought back another memory for her. In 2002 she was Navigator on the LE Niamh when she had to help the ship manoeuvre through the famous Canal. "It is very narrow in parts and it was quite a challenge because you had the ship's safety to consider. You had to pay attention all the time", she said. That trip took her to India, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Tokyo as part of the Asia deployment. "We were gone for three months in total", she said adding that it was a particularly exciting time for her as navigator. "We were moving over to electronic charts but I still had to do everything on paper. It was a major learning experience as I had to contact the various ports, prepare briefing packs for crew etc." Another memorable assignment was a visit to Germany and the port city of Kiel for a gathering of Navies from all over the world. "It was another opportunity to represent Ireland. We were working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Enterprise to promote the country." Roberta was Second in Command on that occasion, which brought with it considerable responsibility and was a great personal achievement. Not quite as big, however, as when as Lt Cdr in 2008, she became the first female to take control of a ship – the LE Aisling. Life on board as Commander provided no major issues for Roberta. She recalls: "At the start some people did not think women should be in the Navy at all, but they would have been called out by their Superiors and by their peers. By the time I took Command I would have served with a lot of the crew already at different times. They knew I had the competency and capability to do the job." She added: But like any other job or anywhere else in society you have people who don't behave and we have a very good complaints system to deal with that. Overall, there has never been a real problem. Any time I had negative comments, a Superior officer would deal with them." Looking back over her long years of service, Roberta still picks out the day she was commissioned in 1997 as very special. "It was a tough two years training, they put you through your paces and you're away from family etc. They are preparing you, building up your resistance but it was all worth in it in the end." Plus, of course, taking command of her own ship in 2008 was very special and something she looks back on with very fond memories; emphasising that "I had a very good crew." That memorable event saw her win the Cork Woman of the Year Award. There was also another unique occasion when she was involved in the EU's Operation Sophia involving the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean. While her comrades from the Naval Service were there also, Roberta served in the Operational HQ onboard an Italian ship, the San Giusto. "In addition to ships and personnel, they looked for staff officers in the Operational HQ. I wanted to get to the rank of Commander, so I knew I had to get some overseas experience. I had a HR management role in the Naval Service so I had plenty of experience of dealing with people so I volunteered. "Headquarters wasn't in a building; it was onboard a ship, so that was different! It was a lot bigger ship than I was used to in the Naval Service. There was a crew of over 200 and I was part of HQ staff dealing with five different nationalities. We were a floating HQ in the area of operation in the Med." It was, she says, a very busy, different experience but this was good in that it kept her focused for the four months she was away from family and friends. "It was demanding as we had no down time but overall it was very enjoyable." For now Roberta is happy with her mix of family life and study in Brussels. But there's more to come for her. v Commander Roberta O'Brien's Commissioning Day 4th of Sep 1997 Pictured left to right:- Commander Charlie O'Donnell, Ens. Roberta O'Brien, Minister of State at the Dept. of An Taoiseach Seamus Brennan, FOCNS Commodore John Kavanagh, Ens. Cian O'Mearain and Ens. Orlaith Gallagher v Cadets Orlaith Gallagher and Roberta O'Brien pictured during RHIB training in 1996 v Pictured on the LÉ Aisling v Commander Roberta O'Brien: Presentation from Mná UCC for giving a talk on Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion- Feb. 2021

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