The new naval patrol ship LE Samuel Beckett is the first of three OPVs built for the Irish Naval Service by Babcock's Appledore yard in North Devon. The second vessel, LE James Joyce, has been floated out at the yard and was due to be handed over early in 2015. Ireland's Department of Defence has taken up the option of a third ship as part of the £81 million contract awarded in 2010, with the final ship scheduled for handover in 2016. The OPVs are the biggest vessels in the INS and, according to Samuel Beckett's commanding officer, Lt Cdr Tony Geraghty, represent a step change. They are fitted with a 76mm Oto Melara gun and smaller arms, up to three highspeed RIBs and an eight-tonne capacity stern crane; electric drives which save over 60 per cent in fuel; flume tanks for better stabilisation at sea; and a large rear deck for modular operations.
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机译：新的海军巡逻舰塞缪尔·贝克特（LE Samuel Beckett）是北德文郡巴布科克（Apple）的Appledore船厂为爱尔兰海军服务而建造的三艘OPV中的第一艘。第二艘LE James Joyce船已在船上漂浮，原定于2015年初移交。爱尔兰国防部已选择第三艘船作为2010年授予的8,100万英镑合同的一部分，最后一艘船计划于2016年移交。OPV是INS中最大的船，根据塞缪尔·贝克特（Samuel Beckett）的指挥官Lt Cdr Tony Geraghty的说法，这是一步的转变。它们装有一门76毫米Oto Melara机枪和较小的武器，最多可配备三个高速RIB和一台八吨重的船尾起重机。电驱动器可节省60％以上的燃料；水槽，以更好地稳定海上；和大型后甲板，用于模块化操作。
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