A true leviathan is about to visit Ireland. The US destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78), its motto ‘Freedom’s Champion’, will be arriving into Cobh tomorrow as part of a four-day courtesy visit.

Equipped with Tomahawk missiles, the USS Porter has been previously heavily involved fending off attacks by Somalia pirates in the Gulf of Aden. [See the visit in pictures]

The USS Porter is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy, the fifth US naval vessel to be named after US Commodore David Porter, and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter.

While the ship is in port there will be a high security cordon put in place surrounding the Destroyer and all other vessels are banned from coming within 50 meters of the massive naval vessel.

The Cork Harbour Master issued the following marine notice: “The exclusion area will be monitored by An Garda Síochána and the Irish Naval Service for the full duration of the vessel’s port stay. All mariners are advised to observe the exclusion area and stay at least 50 metres from the USS Porter”