History of the Irish Naval Service

It was initially formed in 1923, as the Coastal and Marine Service (CMS), a small organisation manned mainly by personnel who had come from the merchant navy.

[1] The Marine and Coastwatching Service was established in 1939, and operated as a mine laying, shipping regulation and fishery protection throughout the period of Ireland's neutrality during World War II.

[1] The Anglo-Irish treaty of 1922 stipulated that Ireland would be given responsibility to police its customs and fishing, while the United Kingdom would remain in control of Irish waters.

In June 1940, an Irish Marine and Coastwatching Service Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) made two separate trips to rescue British and French soldiers during the Dunkirk evacuation.

[citation needed] During the Emergency (WWII), the Service regulated merchant ships, protected fisheries, and laid mines in Cork and Waterford.

The subsequent strain put on the Naval Service prompted funding from the European Community to build and purchase seven ships.

[11] In 1999, a new ship LÉ Róisin was delivered to the Navy, marking the beginning of a new class of larger patrol vessels.