1/700 Samuel Beckett P61 Class (Ship Write, Shapeways)

Another great example of 3D printing by a Shapeways designer. It required very little assembly with just the cannon barrel and mast requiring attachment. If you wanted to do a better job you could add PE railings though the miniature wasn’t designed to accept them.

The Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel is a class of offshore patrol vessels (OPV) ordered by the Irish Naval Service from October 2010. The first vessel is named Samuel Beckett and was commissioned in May 2014. Construction on this first vessel commenced in November 2011, A further three vessels were named James Joyce, William Butler Yeats and George Bernard Shaw, and delivered in 2015, 2016 and 2018 respectively.

The U.S. Navy may have its fair share of recruiting problems, but these pale in comparison to the challenges facing the Irish Naval Service. Ireland's navy has a chronic shortage of skilled personnel, particularly in engineering and technical specialties, and the staffing shortfall has become so serious that it sometimes cannot send more than one ship to sea out of a fleet of six plus two being fitted out. According to the Irish Examiner, the service has decided to take the same route as other maritime employers who find themselves in this situation - hiring a manning agency.

Gallery updated 4/7/2024

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