LÉ ''William Butler Yeats'' (P63) is a of 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 ...

. Named after poet

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...

, the ship is the third in a series of vessels designed by Vard Marine and built by

Babcock Marine Appledore Appledore Shipbuilders is a shipbuilder in Appledore, North Devon, England. History The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond ...

. The ship was floated out of the shipyard in March 2016, started trials in July 2016, and arrived at Haulbowline naval base in late July 2016. The ship was formally commissioned in a ceremony in Galway on 17 October 2016. During the ceremony, it was officially named by a granddaughter of the poet, Caitriona Yeats.

Operational history

In March 2020 the Naval Service provided the vessel to the HSE as a testing centre to be docked at

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

as part of Irish response to the coronavirus pandemic. In September 2023, LÉ ''William Butler Yeats'' was involved in the interception of MV ''Matthew'', a bulk carrier, that was found to be carrying of cocaine, worth €173 million.

References

2016 ships Ships built in Devon Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessels Naval ships of the Republic of Ireland {{Mil-ship-stub