LÉ Grainne
 Silhouette of LÉ Grainne (CM10)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Oulston |
| Namesake | Oulston |
| Builder | Thornycroft |
| Launched | September 1953[1] |
| Out of service | 1970 |
| Renamed | 1970 |
| Identification | M1129 |
 Ireland | |
| Name | LÉ Grainne |
| Namesake | Gráinne, a legendary Irish princess |
| Acquired | 1970 |
| Commissioned | 30 January 1971 |
| Decommissioned | 1987 |
| Identification | CM10 |
| Fate | Sold to Spanish interests for breaking, 1987 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ton-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 360 tonnes[2] |
| Length | 42.67 m (140.0 ft) overall |
| Beam | 8.4 m (28 ft) |
| Draught | 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) maximum |
| Complement | 30[2] |
| Armament |
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LÉ Gráinne (CM10) was a Ton-class minesweeper in the Irish Naval Service. She was the former HMS Oulston. She was named after Gráinne, a legendary princess who was promised to Fionn Mac Cumhail but ran away with his young follower Diarmuid.
Oulston was purchased from the Royal Navy in December 1970 and entered Irish service in January 1971.[2] The purchase coincided with the removal from service of the Irish Naval Service's only fisheries protection vessel, LÉ Maev.[3] The official naming ceremony for the LÉ Gráinne was held in February 1971.[4]
Involved in fisheries protection,[5] she was stricken in 1987 and sold to a Spanish company for breaking.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Warships". Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f "Naval Service - Fleet History". military.ie. Irish Defence Forces. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012.
Taken over in Hythe near Southampton on 8 December 1970 and commissioned on 30 January 1971. In 1987 Grainne was taken out of service and sold to a Spanish company for scrap
- ^ Ó Confhaola, Padhraic (October 2009). The Naval Forces of the Irish State, 1922-1977 (PDF) (Thesis). p. 142.
When the LE Maev broke down in early 1970, Irish territorial waters were completely unprotected for several weeks. Following [..LE Maev's..] decommissioning in January 1971 and prior to the commissioning of the [LE] Grainne, the naval services had no ships whatsoever
- ^ McIvor, Aidan (1994). A History of the Irish Naval Service. Irish Academic Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780716525233.
[On] 30 January 1971, LÉ Gráinne was commissioned by her new commanding officer [..] Nine days later, she left for Cobh [..] On 12 February, at Haulbowline, she was formally named LÉ Gráinne
- ^ "RTÉ Archives - Patrolling Donegal Waters 1983". rte.ie. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
| Active fleet |  | |
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| Decommissioned | ||
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- 1953 ships
- Former naval ships of the Republic of Ireland
- Ton-class minesweepers of the Irish Naval Service
- Ton-class minesweepers of the Royal Navy
- Cold War minesweepers of the United Kingdom
- Ships built in Southampton
- Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company
- Naval ships of the Republic of Ireland
- Irish maritime stubs