Irish Naval Service ship bound for Mediterranean on mission to prevent weapons trafficking
Lt Cdr Alan Flynn, officer commanding of the LÉ William Butler Yeats at Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork Harbour ahead of its deployment to the Mediterranean as the Irish contribution to ENFM Operation Irini. Picture: Denis Minihane
Final preparations are being made to send an Irish Naval Service ship on an overseas operation for the first time since 2018, with the 58-strong crew set to patrol the coast off Libya to prevent weapons being smuggled into the war-torn country.
The LÉ William Butler Yeats will depart for the mission on Thursday and take about a week to get to its area of operations.
The crew, which includes five women, will not return home until July 30.
This will be the third overseas mission for the ship’s captain Lieutenant Commander Alan Flynn.
In 2015 he served as search and rescue officer onboard LÉ Niamh during Operation Pontus and along with her crew helped save more than 3,000 migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately, the crew also had to recover the bodies of 39 migrants who didn’t make it.
The married father of two young sons, who lives in Carrigaline, Co Cork said that just a handful of his crew on this mission have overseas experience, but they are well trained and raring to go.
The warship is not expected to encounter migrants to the same extent as occurred during Operation Pontus, as it will be deployed further offshore. However, Lt Comdr Flynn said should they encounter any they will ensure their safety as they are obliged to do so under international maritime law.
This time the mission, known as Operation Irini, is designed to enforce a UN embargo on arms shipments into Libya and exports of oil from there, the money from which could be used to arm the warring factions fighting for control of the North African country.
The crew will board suspect ships and provide intelligence-gathering information to Irini’s operations headquarters in Rome, where three Irish personnel — Commander Frank O’Connor, Captain Jason McDermott and Chief Petty Officer Jeremiah Foley — are part of a multinational EU force overseeing the mission.
Lt Comdr Flynn said they “expect to be incredibly busy because there will be a lot of merchant [shipping] traffic in the area” which will have to be monitored and at times boarded to check their cargoes.
Petty Officer Kara Foley, 47, from Cork City, who joined the navy 21 years ago, is looking forward to the mission. She could have previously gone to the Mediterranean, but the arrival of her twins Aaron and Hannah five years ago ruled that out.
“It's going to be a challenge, but I know it'll be a great experience for us,” said Kara, who will be responsible for maintaining the ship’s navigation and radio equipment.
Leading Hand Clodagh Bradshaw, from Wicklow, joined the navy five years ago and will work onboard as a communications operator.
“I volunteered for the mission,” the 24-year-old said.
The crew will get some downtime too and a chance to enjoy rest in some beautiful places.
Lt Comdr Flynn said they expect to do six- to eight-day 24-hour patrol cycles and then get two to three days off duty when they can possibly drop into ports in Greece, Italy, and Malta for breaks and resupply.
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