An Cosantóir

16 | consequently Naval Service crews have to prepare for the worst case scenario as they have no way of knowing how a bel- ligerent crew will react. In drug interdic- tion operations the guns of the NS ship, or ships, involved are armed and manned to provide cover for the boarding teams. Each Naval Service vessel is equipped with an array of primary and second- ary armaments. LÉ Róisin, LÉ Niamh, LÉ Orla, and LÉ Ciara are equipped with the 76mm Otto Melara, a high-precision weapon, with a range of up to 17kms, that it is capable of engaging surface-, air-, and shore-based targets. The gun is gyro-stabilised, fully automated, and equipped with a Radamec fire control system. LÉ Eithne carries the Bofors 57mm L/70 Automatic Gun, an all-purpose weapon capable of firing up to 300rpm at surface- and air- targets up to 13kms away. It is remote-controlled and gyro- stabilised, with an optical and laser fire-control system. LÉ Aoife, LÉ Aisling and LÉ Emer are armed with the close-range Bofors 40mm L/70 Automatic Gun, which fires 300rpm. Secondary armaments include the Browning .5" HMG, the 7.62mm GPMG, and the Rheinmetall 20mm Rh-202 Naval Cannon, a precision, close-range naval ar- mament with a high rate-of-fire of up to 1,030rpm and special mount design that allows the firer to remain in the upright position for all elevations of firing. Many other navies utilise particular weapons on vessels specific to particular jobs. For example, some employ 20mm weapons only on vessels exclusively assigned to fishery protection. "We do An Cosantóir February 2012 not have that luxury," said Lt Donncha Cahalane, "as our Naval Service has mul- tiple roles. We also have to think of chal- lenges 30 years in advance, as that is the average life of our ships. Drug cartels are getting more and more sophisticated: An Garda Síochána has come across gangs armed with a variety of assault rifles, RPGs and other anti-armour weapons, and we have found 20mm cannons on detained vessels. If we had anything smaller than a 76mm main armement these belligerent crews may decide to make a stand." Lt Cahalane and CPO David Hughes said that groups like the Somali pirates or the Tamil Tigers found it easy to acquire illegal arms up to 20mm cannons but they were never able to get anything as sophisticated as the 76mm Otto Melara. "You have to keep one step ahead of them all the times" continued Lt Ca- halane. "Drug cartels are building and using submarines to transport narcotics, although they currently lack a transat- lantic capability. These are very resilient people who are investing a lot of money: we have no choice but to plan for the worst-case scenario." Apart from drug interdiction opera- tions, the need for a display of force from NS ships is less now than it used to be in the past. Years ago it wasn't unheard of for an illegal fishing vessel to make a run for it. "If a vessel is not compliant, crews are trained to initially train the guns as if we are going to fire across their path," L/Sea Michael Kelly explained. "Usually that would get them to stop. If not we would be given the order to fire across the bow, then above the water line at the bow, and finally below the waterline. Thankfully, incidents like this are far and few between nowadays." In the 1970s and '80s there were also IRA gunrunning ships to contend with. "What you find with something like an IRA arms ship," said L/Sea Kelly, " is that the crew will try to sink it rather than let us board it." The Naval Service and its gun crews are also called upon to augment the protection of visiting foreign dignitaries. For example, LÉ Eithne is equipped with air surveillance radar, which it can use to monitor the airspace on the approaches to Shannon or Dublin airports. The weapons systems have also proven invaluable overseas. During the Defence Forces deployment to Liberia the Naval Service provided shore-cover with the 76mm Otto Melara for the ARW advance deployment. "The ARW were very comfortable in knowing that the ship had a weapon that could cover them up to 17kms inshore, and provide accurate high-explosive fire at up to 80rpm," said Lt Cahalane. "Furthermore the vessel was able to follow the ARW as they moved along the shore, with the weapon system covering them the whole time." Navigation hazards are something land-based people might not think of and would be surprised how often the Naval Service has to sink a damaged vessel or floating container that has fallen off a ship. "You get this in stormy weather," explained L/Sea Colm Hola- han: "Containers falling off cargo ships or even a semi-submerged damaged fish- ing boat. In bad weather we would not be able to tow them back to shore, es- pecially as we could be 300 miles out to

• Cover