An Cosantóir

| 13 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE The lean crewing of the ships imposes a different way of operating them from the larger, more heavily-crewed, OPVs. In particular, specialist technicians, chefs, etc. are required to participate in deck evolutions, including berthing and unberthing, launching and recovery of boats, and anchoring. Additionally, whereas OPVs maintain a two-person "watch" in the Machinery Control Room whilst the ship is at sea, the IPVs have Unattended Machinery Spaces. This requires the bridge watchkeepers to maintain increased awareness of the state of the machinery and to carry out immediate actions in the event of an alarm, fault or failure. Considerable effort went into identifying, developing and delivering training for the crew, and a team of IPV experts from the RNZN travelled, by request, to Ireland, to mentor in these areas during the first work-up patrol in May of this year. Learning how to operate an unfamiliar class of ship is difficult, and the Ship's Company of LÉ Aoibhinn, many of whom only embarked five weeks before the ship sailed as an Irish warship for the first time, displayed dedication, professionalism, and downright doggedness, in achieving Initial Operational Capability in July. Their forerunners aboard the CPVs always had a different internal dynamic than aboard larger ships, and those who interact with them have heard the motto "smaller ship, tighter team" more than once. Initial Operational Capability means that the ship is worked up to a level where it can safely navigate, patrol, and deal with any onboard emergencies. Since achieving that, LÉ Aoibhinn has continued to work up towards achieving Full Operational Capability by the end of the year, when she will be capable of carrying out the full range of operations expected of our ships. Meanwhile, she is delivering defence outputs aligned with her continually increasing capability. She assumed the role of On-Scene Coordinator during a Search and Rescue operation off the south-east coast on 12th and 13th June, and this experience, in challenging weather conditions, was a marker of her progress. Between patrols, the last of her systems are being fitted out, and training continues. It is intended to complete the fit-out of LÉ Gobnait, and, as personnel numbers improve, begin to crew her and work her up, learning from operational experience of LÉ Aoibhinn to streamline that process. The ships are compact and well-designed. They are capable of transiting across their intended Area of Operations in several hours, and will make use of ports and anchorages to conserve fuel and provide for crew rest during patrol, whilst being ready to respond to, and reach, any incident rapidly. They carry mounted 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns, with the potential to fit a larger-calibre weapon (20-30mm) being examined in the context of a fleetwide armament review. They have an integrated suite of sensors to allow maintenance of Maritime Domain Awareness. Despite being significantly smaller than the CPVs they replace, they are as just as fast, carry larger boats, and have significantly improved crew accommodation. Gone are the two 11-berth cabins on the CPVs; most IPV cabins are 3-berth en suites. As with larger ships, web connectivity for personal devices allows our sailors stay in touch with family and friends, consistent with operational security and emissions control policies. Onboard systems can be put into standby mode when off patrol, removing the requirement for an onboard duty watch outside working hours. The Commission on the Defence Forces Report in 2022 noted that patrolling effort could be maximised by the development of naval support bases away from Haulbowline. In view of the Area of Operations of the IPVs, it is planned to base and operate them from an East Coast Naval Base. Additional to the economies of time and money in terms of patrolling, this will give the Navy an enhanced footprint and visibility on the highly-populated east coast, aiding public engagement and recruitment. Furthermore, and in tandem with the growing numbers of appointments available for naval personnel as the DF transforms into a Joint organisation, it will allow sailors to base their families in the greater Dublin area, while realising a long and fulfilling career in the Navy. This will aid both recruitment and retention. Given the high volume of maritime traffic in the Irish and Celtic Seas, the high operational tempo of these ships, and the lean crewing, there will be scant time in the patrol day for the crew to attend to administrative or planning responsibilities, normally carried out during transits between patrol areas on OPVs. Accordingly, a shore-based Squadron Support Section has been established, which provides administrative and logistical support to the IPVs. When the ships are re-located to the East Coast Naval Base, this Support Section will re-locate also, adding a number of technicians, so that the ships can be maintained at the Base, and the crew can take time off between patrols. Moving these support and coordination functions to a shore-based team will be a necessary enabler of double-crewing of our ships in the future, and the development of the Squadron concept required by the IPVs will teach the Navy valuable lessons as we move to increase patrolling effort without increasing the strain on our sailors aboard ship. LÉ Aoibhinn and LÉ Gobnait are two fast, agile, and capable warships, which will provide Ireland with the means of carrying out Maritime Defence and Security Operations in coastal areas, primarily on the eastern and south eastern coasts. They are an exciting opportunity for the Navy to "do seagoing better", maximising operational return whilst reducing the strain on our sailors, and to engage, recruit and retain in our largest population centre. Fair winds and following seas to all who sail upon them. The name plate of LÉ AOIBHINN is uncovered as part of the Commissioning and naming ceremony Tánaiste, Chief of Staff, Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Secretary General of the Dept. of Defence, OCs LÉ AOIBHINN and LÉ GOBNAIT, Ships Company LÉ AOIBHINN

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