Misplaced Pages

LÉ James Joyce moored at Haulbowline
History
Ireland
Name	LÉ James Joyce
Namesake	James Joyce, Irish novelist and poet
Ordered	October 2010
Builder	Babcock Marine Appledore, North Devon
Cost	€71 million
Laid down	November 2013
Launched	23 November 2014
Sponsored by	Carol Joyce
Christened	1 September 2015
Commissioned	1 September 2015
Identification	IMO number: 9614672 MMSI number: 250003146 Callsign: EIYZ Hull number: P62
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel
Displacement	2,256 tonnes Standard
Length	90.00 m (295.28 ft)
Beam	14.00 m (45.93 ft)
Speed	15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) cruise 23 kn (43 km/h; 26 mph) maximum
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi)
Complement	54 (44 crew + 10 trainees)
Armament	1 × OTO Melara 76 mm cannon 2 × 20 mm Rheinmetall Rh202 cannon 2 × 12.7 mm HMG 4 × 7.62 mm GPMG
Aviation facilities	UAV capable

LÉ James Joyce (P62) is a Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) which was built by Babcock Marine Appledore for the Irish Naval Service. Although criticised by a descendant of the author, the ship was named for writer James Joyce.

Design and construction

In October 2010, the Irish Naval Service ordered a number of new offshore patrol vessels from Babcock Marine, a UK-based shipbuilder operating out of Appledore, North Devon. Like the similar Róisín-class OPV, James Joyce was designed by Vard Marine.

In July 2013, the name of the vessel, James Joyce was announced by the Minister for Defence Alan Shatter in Dáil Éireann.

Operational history

The ship was completed and floated out of the shipyard in November 2014. Following sea-trials and a number of delays it was delivered to the Naval Service in mid-2015. The official naming and commissioning ceremony was held at Dún Laoghaire on 1 September 2015. In November 2016, personnel from the LÉ James Joyce boarded the FV Margiris as part of a fisheries inspection. On 15 November 2024, the LÉ James Joyce escorted a suspected Russian spy vessel out of the Irish Sea after it was observed operating in area "containing critical energy and internet submarine pipelines and cables".

References

1. "New Naval Service ship to be called LÉ William Butler Yeats" (Press release). Department of Defence. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
2. ^ "Naming and Commissioning Ceremony for new Naval Service Vessel LÉ James Joyce" (Press release). MerrionStreet.ie. Irish Government News Service. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
3. ^ "Babcock's Appledore to build fourth Irish offshore patrol vessel". NavalToday.com. 16 June 2016.
4. "Babcock displays Irish OPV at DSEI". ADS Advance. ADS Group. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
5. Riegel, Ralph (17 March 2015). "New Navy vessel to control drones and robotic subs". Irish Independent.
6. Gallacher, Neil (28 April 2014). "Devon-built Samuel Beckett ship handed to Irish Naval Service". BBC News. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
7. "Minister Welcomes Return Of LÉ Eithne, Arrival Of LÉ James Joyce To Cork". Afloat.ie. 17 July 2015.
8. Siggins, Lorna (5 May 2014). "Decision to name Navy patrol ships after writers defended". Irish Times.
9. Siggins, Lorna (9 June 2014). "Naval Service ship names row may reopen". Irish Times.
10. O'Riordan, Sean. "Navy to use drones to improve surveillance". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
11. ^ Howells, Sarah (16 June 2015). "LÉ James Joyce sets sail from Appledore". North Devon Gazette.
12. "Second Irish OPV afloat at Babcock's Appledore shipyard". janes.com. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
13. "Houses of the Oireachtas - Naval Service Vessels". Oireachtas (Hansard).
14. "Babcock floats Irish Navy's new LÉ James Joyce OPV". naval-technology.com. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
15. "New naval ship to be called LÉ William Butler Yeats". Irish Examiner. 22 July 2015. LÉ James Joyce, which arrived in the Naval Base at Haulbowline in Co Cork last Friday
16. O'Riordan, Sean (7 July 2015). "Navy crew 'abandon ship' over problems on LÉ James Joyce". Irish Examiner.
17. Robinson, Ann (29 November 2016). "Irish Navy boards super trawler off Donegal". CoastMonkey.ie.
18. Doherty, Sue (3 December 2016). "Irish navy inspect world's second largest trawler off the coast of Donegal". Donegal Democrat.
19. O'Carrol, Lisa (16 November 2024). "Russian spy ship escorted away from area with critical cables in Irish Sea". The Guardian.

Fleet of the Irish Naval Service
Active fleet	Róisín Niamh Samuel Beckett James Joyce William Butler Yeats George Bernard Shaw Aoibhinn Gobnait
Decommissioned	Macha Maev Cliona Setanta Ferdia Grainne Banba Fola Deirdre Emer Aoife Aisling Eithne Orla Ciara

v t e Irish Naval Service
Organisation	Naval Operations Command Naval Support Command Naval College (National Maritime College of Ireland) Naval Service Reserve
Active fleet	Róisín Niamh Samuel Beckett James Joyce William Butler Yeats George Bernard Shaw Aoibhinn Gobnait
Decommissioned vessels	Macha Maev Cliona Setanta Ferdia Grainne Banba Fola Deirdre Emer Aoife Aisling Eithne Orla Ciara
Specialised units	Naval Service Diving Section Fisheries Monitoring Centre
Shore establishments	Naval Base Haulbowline
Related	History Treaty Ports Rank Insignia Long Éireannach Operation Triton List of Irish state vessels

This article about a specific naval ship or boat is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Ships built in Devon
• Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessels
• 2014 ships
• Naval ships of the Republic of Ireland
• Naval ship stubs