LÉ ''Cliona'' was a in the

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service () is the maritime component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though prece ...

. She was named after Cliodhna, an ancient Irish

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

of love; she was the former . ''Bellwort'' was built by George Brown & Co of

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

, Scotland. After wartime service in 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 ...

she was handed over to the Naval Service on 3 February 1947 and commissioned ''Cliona'' by Lieutenant Walter J. Reidy the same day. She was sold to Haulbowline Industries for scrap and was removed to

Passage West Passage West (locally known as "Passage"; ) is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour, some 10 km south-east of Cork (city), Cork city. Passage West was designated a conservation area in the 2003 Co ...

on 4 November 1970.

Fire incident

On 29 May 1962, ''Cliona'' was participating in an annual exercise south off

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. ''Cliona'' had a press party including a number of RTÉ cameras embarked to do some filming for the new national broadcaster. The ship initially carried out a successful Hedgehog mortar exercise. During her second pattern of depth charges, she suffered a premature explosion from a charge dropped from the port stern rail. The resulting explosion lifted the stern of the ship out of the water and the concussion ruptured fuel oil feed pipes in the after boiler room. The leaking oil resulted in a serious fire which rapidly accelerated out of control. Stoker William Mynes closed the feed valves, isolating the supply of fuel to the fire. Mynes had to be ordered to leave his post so he could receive medical attention for burns he had sustained in the fire fighting effort. The Executive Officer, Lt. Pat O'Mahony, then entered the aft boiler room where he fought the fire for at least another thirty minutes. The fire was eventually extinguished, despite the Marine Rescue Coordination centre dispatching an oceangoing

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, ''Clonmel'' to the scene to assist, ''Cliona '' was able to proceed to

Haulbowline Haulbowline (; ) is an island in Cork Harbour off the coast of Ireland. The world's first yacht club was founded on Haulbowline in 1720. The western side of the island is the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service, with t ...

under her own steam for an investigation and repairs. At the time, neither Mynes or O'Mahoney were recognised for the bravery they showed in their fire fighting effort.Report to the Chief of Staff from Captain Thomas McKenna on fire damage to LE Cliona, 31 May 1962 (National Military Archives) However, 'scrolls of commendation' were issued in recognition of the crew member's efforts some decades later.

References

1941 ships Former naval ships of the Republic of Ireland Flower-class corvettes of the Irish Naval Service Naval ships of the Republic of Ireland Clíodhna {{Ireland-maritime-stub