Operation Baseline
4,541 views · Published 5 December 2014 · 1:58 · Indexed 25 September 2026
Channel: Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces · 2014 · News & Politics
For the first time in almost 60 years the exact measurements of the country's territorial waters are being taken from 50 specially selected points. In operation baseline the Air Corps are working closely with Ordnance Survey Ireland, winching geographers on to some of the most inaccessible headlands and islands on our shores to mark co-ordinates from which the breadth of our territorial sea is measured. Currently the island of Ireland itself covers 20,863,360 acres of land and over 220 million acres of marine and undersea territory. This marine environment is a fantastically valuable resource and, by using the Air Corps, the National Mapping Agency can confirm the size of Ireland’s Territorial sea and EEZ, and the State’s rights over the exploration and use of marine resources of this area. Think what you could do with one acre of land…. and imagine the amazing possibilities of Ireland’s claim over 220 million acres of land. Here’s a short video of how it’s done with the crew of one of our Agusta Westland 139.
