What is Follow the Fleet?

The Follow the Fleet site is about ships, the sea and Irelands historic relationship with the sea.

The sea is a very important and valuable part of our natural environment. It has featured in the evolution of our society, and a huge influence on our history. We have been invaded from the sea and many Irish seafarers have contributed to geographical exploration. Whole communities have relied on the sea for their livlihoods.

Nowadays of course we have learned to appreciate the complex environment that is the sea. The Marine Institute deploys the most advanced research facilities to explore and map our coastal waters.

REGISTER
The tracking section of the site is only accessible to registered members. Registering is easy and will only take you a few minutes. Click here to register now.

SESE
This site offers much information that will assist in the teaching of the SESE curriculum. Your students can learn about:

• Different types of ships
• The parts of a ship
• Equipment and instruments used on ships
• The crew and the work they do
• The cargo that ships carry
• The interesting ports that ships visit
• The influence of the weather and how weather is described
• Our relationship with the sea through history - early days of Celtic mythology, the voyages of the famous monks, historical developments with sea trade, political constraints on Irish merchants, the impact of the Famine.
• Famous Irish seafarers.

This comprehensive range of topics can be mixed and matched to suit almost any teaching requirement.

Using the technology on the site your students can find out where any of the featured ships are located. This exercise alone offers broad scope for geographical insights.

OVERVIEW
Click here for an overview which shows, for each section of the site:

• Summary of content.
• Suggested relationships with SESE curriculum. Follow the Fleet content can be used to enhance and supplement your teaching in these areas.
• The on-screen exercises available on the FTF site.

LESSON PLANS
Some specific lesson plans are available here: