( Irish for "Irish ship") is the designation given to ships in the Irish Naval Service's fleet. In this context it is abbreviated to ''LÉ'', as in LÉ ''Eithne'' or LÉ ''Róisín''. It has been used since December 1946 when the Irish Naval Service was established with the purchase of three

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

s from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. The LÉ ''Macha'' was among the first vessels named with the LÉ prefix.

References

1946 in Ireland Irish Naval Service Ship prefixes {{navy-stub