Naval Service vessels are due to participate in an international event next week which marks the 200th anniversary of the British defeat of the French in the Battle of Trafalgar.
The flagship, LE Eithne, and the sailing training ship, Asgard II, will be reviewed by Queen Elizabeth during the ceremony off Portsmouth, which is being hosted by the British navy.
The 1805 sea battle, which has described as one of the "pivotal points" in the Napoleonic Wars, ended the threat of a French invasion of Britain. The British victory put a dent in Napoleon's expansionist plans but was marred by the death of Lord Horatio Nelson.
The LE Eithne and Asgard II have been given specific instructions on how to salute the Queen during the fleet review, involving more than 175 ships and warships of various nationalities.
The LE Eithne, under Cdr Mark Mellett, was inspected by Naval Service flag officer, Cdr Frank Lynch, in Dublin yesterday before the ship's departure.
During the inspection, Cdr Lynch presented Able Seaman Aidan Hitchen with the Ford Ireland "sailor of the quarter" award. The award is made in recognition of his performance within the Naval Service. Representatives of Ford Ireland and of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, with which the LE Eithne is twinned, attended the event. The LE Eithne has inspected over 225 Foreign and Irish fishing vessels in Irish waters this year.
