The Government should use the US Coast Guard as a model for the further development of the Naval Service, allowing it to retain its military capacity, the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Commodore John Kavanagh, said yesterday.
Commodore Kavanagh said the US Coast Guard was involved in activities similar to the Naval Service, such as fishery protection, search-and-rescue, drug interdiction and oil-pollution control.
"But they are a military organisation and they believe that's the way go forward, to stay a military organisation. They don't come under the control of the Department of Defence except in the time of war, but they are militarily equipped," he said.
"I would like to see the Navy developing using the US Coast Guard as a model and, as with them, I'd be very loath to see us lose our military capacity. The State must have the ability to exercise its power in its own waters."
Commodore Kavanagh said he had no problem with the service being named the Irish Coastguard but as the Irish Marine Emergency Services is to be renamed the Irish Coastguard, using the same name for the Navy would cause confusion.
He pointed out that the Price Waterhouse review of the Defence Forces was firmly against following the route in Scotland, where a civilianised sea agency is charged with fishery protection duties.
He said the number of boardings of fishing vessels, both Irish and foreign, had increased dramatically over the past 10 years despite the Naval Service having the same number of ships, seven, in operation.
In 1990, the number of boardings of fishing boats by the Naval Service was 450, but by last year it had trebled to 1,400, and for the first six months of this year it had reached 800, giving a projected figure for the year of 1,600, he said.
Commodore Kavanagh said the Naval Service's new purpose-built ship, the LE Roisin, was undergoing sea trials in Cornwall and would be handed over shortly and come into commission before Christmas.
He was speaking during fleet exercises involving six ships off the south coast carrying out training under the command of Cdr Rory Costello operating from the LE Eithne as his flag ship.
Yesterday the LE Eithne, LE Orla, LE Ciara, LE Aoife, LE Emer and LE Deirdre took to the choppy seas of Co Cork for the exercises, which included shiptowing, firefighting and damage control.
Among the other training exercises was the firing of secondary armaments, with the LE Eithne leading the way as its gun crews practised on a target buoy approximately 10 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale.
Armaments exercises during which live rounds were fired were followed by drills involving the release of boarding parties under the command of Sub Lieut Mick Kenneally and Sub Lieut Eamon Lucey.
Seamen took two 16 ft Sea Raiders on simulated drug interdiction exercises.
Armed with batons, pistols and sub-machineguns, the two teams of sailors got into the Sea Raiders and were lowered into the sea, using the LE Eithne as a shield while approaching the target vessel.
The target vessel was the LE Orla, which turned to prevent the LE Eithne cutting it off before some skilful manoeuvring by Cdr Jim Robinson brought her into position, allowing the Sea Raiders board the LE Orla and complete another training exercise successfully.