3 July 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Newly appointed Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney TD, attended this year’s Naval Service Commissioning Ceremony at the Naval base in Haulbowline, Co Cork where 4 cadets of the 58th class were appointed to be Officers of the Permanent Defence Force.
Addressing the newly commissioned Officers, Minister Coveney thanked them for their commitment and service, and recognised the contribution of the Naval Service and their support to the HSE during the Covid 19 emergency.
Simon Coveney
Picture Gerard McCarthy
“In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the professionalism and capacity of the Naval Service and a justifiable pride in their service. We have all seen the pictures of members of the Naval Service rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and more recently, we have witnessed the contribution of the Naval Service and the broader Defence Forces at home in supporting the HSE response to the Covid 19 emergency.”
Minister Coveney highlighted the rewarding nature of a career in the Defence Forces and his hope that people would consider a career in the Defence Forces, which offers unique experiences and significant opportunities for personal development.
“I would encourage all those seeking a career to consider serving in the Defence Forces. It is a career which offers unique experiences and significant opportunities for personal development. Recruitment is ongoing across a range of disciplines and details can be found on the Defence Forces website military.ie”
Facts & Figures
The training programme for the 58th Class commenced in September 2018 at the Officer Training School in Haulbowline before moving to the Cadet School, Military College in the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh, Co. Kildare. Following 4 months of rigorous military training, focusing on drills, marksmanship, military discipline, fitness and land navigation, the cadets commenced a second marinisation phase which is designed to give an initial understanding of a broad range of naval subjects prior to the seagoing training term. During this term, the cadets took part in LE James Joyce‘s 2 week patrol to London as part of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade and also were hosts to the Royal Navy’s P2000 class vessel for a week of navigation and training in Dublin Bay.
The 3rd and final phase included 4 week patrols on both the LE James Joyce and the US Navy Academy as well as specialised navigation and ship-handling training at the National Maritime College of Ireland.
