History of the Irish Naval Service started, and the ships were named "Cliona", "Maev" and "Macha". These three ships were to become a key part of the Naval Service in the 1950s and 1960s. The first formal training of Irish Naval Cadets took place at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, UK in 1947. Between 1968 and 1970, Cliona, Maev and Macha were withdrawn from service. These were replaced by three minesweepers commissioned in 1971: Grainne, Banba and Fola. In 1971 the Naval Service commissioned Verolme Cork Dockyard to build an offshore patrol ship. Named L.É Deirdre, it was the first naval vessel purpose-built in Ireland
HMY Britannia (Royal Cutter Yacht) 1879, and the 216-ton schooner "Aline" (Benjamin Nicholson, 1860) in 1881. "Britannia" faced many opponents in her 43-year career. The most notable were: HMY Britannia (Royal Cutter Yacht) His Majesty's Yacht "Britannia" was a gaff-rigged cutter built in 1893 for RYS Commodore Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII. She served both himself and his son King George V, with a long racing career. "Britannia" was ordered in 1892 by Edward, Prince of Wales and designed by George Lennox Watson. She was a near sister ship to the Watson-designed which challenged for the 1893 America's Cup.