LÉ William Butler Yeats

LÉ William Butler Yeats at Haulbowline, July 2016
History
Ireland
Name	LÉ William Butler Yeats
Namesake	W. B. Yeats, Irish poet
Builder	Babcock Marine Appledore, North Devon
Cost	€71 million[1]
Launched	10 March 2016
Sponsored by	Caitriona Yeats
Christened	17 October 2016[2]
Commissioned	17 October 2016[2]
Identification	IMO number: 9751494 MMSI number: 250003811 Callsign: EIYU Hull number: P63
Status	In active service[2]
General characteristics
Class and type	Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel
Displacement	2,256 tonnes
Length	90.00 m (295.28 ft)[3]
Beam	14.00 m (45.93 ft)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi)[4]
Armament	1 × 76 mm cannon 2 × 20 mm cannon 2 × 7.62 mm GPMG 2 x .50 calibre HMG[4]

LÉ William Butler Yeats (P63) is a Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Naval Service. Named after poet W. B. Yeats, the ship is the third in a series of vessels designed by Vard Marine and built by Babcock Marine Appledore.^[1][5][6] The ship was floated out of the shipyard in March 2016,^[7] started trials in July 2016,^[4] and arrived at Haulbowline naval base in late July 2016.^[8] The ship was formally commissioned in a ceremony in Galway on 17 October 2016. During the ceremony, it was officially named by a granddaughter of the poet, Caitriona Yeats.^[2]

In March 2020 the Naval Service provided the vessel to the HSE as a testing centre to be docked at Galway as part of Irish response to the coronavirus pandemic.^[9]

In September 2023, LÉ William Butler Yeats was involved in the interception of MV Matthew, a bulk carrier, that was found to be carrying 2,253 kg (4,967 lb) of cocaine, worth €173 million.^[10]

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