Navy ship LÉ William Butler Yeats to arrive in 2016

THE latest addition to the Naval Service fleet, which is due to arrive this time next year, will be captained by an officer who lives in Glanmire, Co Cork.

Lieutenant Commander Eric Timon, who is originally from Howth, Co Dublin will take command of the newly-built LÉ William Butler Yeats. It’s the last of a three-ship replacement programme costing more than €200 million.

Lt Comdr Timon, who is an avid hillwalker and marathon runner, joined the Naval Service in 1992.

After being commissioned two years later, he completed the International Sub Lieutenants course with the Royal Navy in Britannia Royal Naval College and was awarded his Naval Watchkeeping Certificate.

He has held numerous appointments at sea and onshore at strategic, operational and tactical levels.

His previous seagoing appointments include commanding LÉ Orla. His shore appointments include Officer-in-Charge of the Fisheries Monitoring Centre, as well as second-in-charge of the Planning and Policy in Naval Headquarters.

New naval ship to be called LÉ William Butler Yeats http://t.co/aIIdJrd7CT pic.twitter.com/VSbozng9cr

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Most recently as he served as Naval Service press officer. He holds a National Certificate in Aquaculture and National Diploma in Applied Aquatic Sciences from Galway Institute of Technology.

He also has a BSc in Marine Zoology and Fisheries Biology from Aberdeen University and a Diploma in Geographical Information Systems from UCC.

In addition, Lt Comdr Timon has an MA in Leadership Management and Defence Studies from the National University of Ireland Maynooth, and is a graduate of the Defence Forces Senior Command & Staff College. The senior officer served overseas at UNIFIL force headquarters in the Lebanon from June 2009 to July 2010.

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney announced the naming of the new vessel last Wednesday which marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of W B Yeats. The name continues a strong link between W B Yeats and Irish Naval Service as the first foreign mission by an Irish Naval service ship, LÉ Macha, in 1948 was to repatriate the poet’s remains to Ireland following his death in France.