Irish service Aoife was first commissioned when
European Union (then
EEC) funding became available in response to the extension of the
Irish Exclusive Fisheries Zone from to in 1976. Together with
sister ships (decommissioned in 2001), (decommissioned in 2013) and (decommissioned in 2016),
Aoife was built at Verolme Cork Dockyard. Originally named after
Aoife,
step-mother to
the children of Lir,
Aoife operated primarily as a fisheries protection vessel.
Aoife also assisted however in emergency rescue operations and other naval support roles. In 1986
Richard Branson's
Virgin Challenger II was attempting to break the
transatlantic speed record set by in 1952.
Challenger left
New York Harbour on 26 June 1986 and refueled, as prearranged, at an oil rig on the
Grand Banks of Newfoundland. However, four tons of water also entered her tanks and soon,
Challenger needed more
fuel filters. Branson's London control centre requested help from the
RAF but the
Royal Navy did not have a ship in the area.
Aoife, 160 miles distant, was informed and an RAF
Nimrod dropped a canister of filters to
Challenger.
Aoife reached
Challenger at 00:43 on 29 June. Her crew refueled
Challenger, which went on to complete the voyage, taking two hours and nine minutes off the previous record. Branson invited representatives of the ships company to the celebrations in London, saying "We could not have succeeded without their help". In October 2004,
Aoife assisted in the rescue of the
Canadian Forces submarine off the north-western coast of
Ireland. In July 2007,
Aoife assisted in the rescue of over 100 children taking part in a sailing regatta off Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Despite the ship's home port being Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour, it had a close relationship with the city of
Waterford and its crew were involved in fund-raising for the children's ward of the
University Hospital Waterford. LÉ
Aoife was decommissioned in Waterford on 31 January 2015 and later donated to
Malta.
Maltese service , Malta
Aoife was commissioned into the
Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta on 28 June 2015, and given the pennant number
P62. It is the largest vessel in the Maritime Squadron, being larger than the flagship, the offshore patrol boat . intended initially for use in humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean. On 24 May 2019,
P62 was involved in the recovery of a
WWII aircraft engine off the
Grand Harbour. The engine, most probably that of a
Short Sunderland flying boat, was retrieved after a 14-hour operation. During 2020, the ship participated in joint training operations with the
Royal Netherlands Navy and
Hellenic Navy. ==See also==