THE NAVAL officer who led the detention of the drug smuggling yacht Brimeis to become new commander of the Naval Service.
Capt Mark Mellett (52), who received a distinguished service medal (DSM) for his role in the Brimeinterception off the Clare coast in 1993, has been appointed as flag officer commanding the Naval Service by Minister for Defence Éamon Ó Cuív.
He had been officer commanding Naval Service operations at the Haulbowline headquarters in Cork harbour.
Capt Mellett is from Mayo, and succeeds Cmdr Frank Lynch who retired last month.
He joined the Naval Service in 1976, and his first command was the LE Orlain 1992. He subsequently commanded the LE Ciarain 1997, and the flagship LE Eithnein 2005.
His broad experience includes commandant of the Naval College, and associate head of the National Maritime College in Ringaskiddy, Cork. He received citations for service abroad with the UN in Lebanon (1989) and Afghanistan (2004). He was the second Naval Service officer to receive a DSM, which he did in 1994 – the year after the Brime interception. The 65ft ketch was carrying two tonnes of cannabis, with a street value then of £20 million.
The yacht’s crew tried to ram the Naval Service inflatables, and then to scuttle the ketch during the detention off Loop Head, Co Clare.
Capt Mellett has a PhD in oceans governance from NUI Galway and has published a number of papers on security and maritime affairs. He told a conference in Cork in April 2007 that a system of ocean governance which took account of rich marine resources was a prerequisite in terms of coastal planning.