HMS Trent has departed for the Caribbean, where the patrol ship will conduct counter-narcotics operations, provide humanitarian disaster relief support during hurricane season, and make visits to British Overseas Territories, the Royal Navy says.
The vessel left at the weekend following weeks of intensive training. Working alongside the U.S. Coast Guard and regional partners, Trent will resume counter-trafficking operations in an area where the ship built a substantial record during her 2024 deployment, seizing £750 million of illegal cargo and tracking down a narco-submarine in what the Royal Navy described as a historic first for the service.
The ship will also embark humanitarian disaster response specialists, including engineers and drone operators, as it patrols ahead of and during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November.
Alongside that standing readiness role, Trent will conduct routine visits to British Overseas Territories across the region, engaging with local authorities and communities to build understanding of each island’s specific needs in the event of a storm. Last November, the ship was dispatched to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, carrying out emergency repairs to a school and hospital in affected communities.
Commanding Officer Commander Gavin Lowe said the crew were ready to resume operations after their period of maintenance and training in the UK.
“We are excited to be returning to the region after maintenance and training in the UK, and bringing a range of capabilities to support humanitarian aid and disaster relief. We’re also looking forward to resuming our counter trafficking work with our partners in the US Coast Guard and engaging with the British Overseas Territories. The crew have been working hard to be ready to re-deploy after last year’s operations, and we’re all glad to be crossing the pond to get back on task,” he said.
Before beginning her hurricane season tasking in June, Trent will call at New Orleans for Sail 250, a major international tall ship event marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, running from 28 May to 1 June. The ship will be berthed on the Mississippi River waterfront alongside modern naval vessels from Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Uruguay.
Following New Orleans, Trent will enter a maintenance period before beginning Atlantic Patrol (North), the Royal Navy’s standing annual deployment to the Caribbean in support of British Overseas Territories.
Presumably on a collection mission for the Submarine Service?
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Feck me, It must be bad If we have run out.
Maybe It’s just for all the Labour Voters ?
Oh hang on, there aren’t any. 🤔😎
Reminds me, I must have a Wash now.
Morning Jim 👌
Let’s hope it does not get shot at by the wrong side.
May be I am mis-reading ‘sails for Caribbean drugs mission’.
What!We are not deploying a carrier.🙄
It was a toss up between the two available ships. 😎
I thought Argyle and Iron Duke were a result of manning issues?
Think about it like this:
You have a task that mostly involves preventing the smuggling of drugs. You can either send a T23, requiring 190 crew, or an OPV, needing about 50.
And we have a spare GP T23……NOT.
or what’s the most pressing priority – Home waters or the Caribbean?
In fairness, a decent chunk of the Caribbean is home water
Crew retention is an issue too.
This constabulary duty which is exactly what Rivers are for.
This is also the kind of job an RFA is ideal for as well.
They are both of equal importance.
We all know that Russia keeps snooping on our home waters infrastructure. They are not doing this for nothing.
The anti-drugs role prevents illicit substances finding their way to the U.K. Illegal drugs are connected to so much other crime here.
Could we not send LSD’s ?
Sorry, I’m just getting up to Speed.
Do the River 2’s have Magic Mushroom Farms ?
Maybe we should have our own Skunk works ? (slang)
Ship of the Line !
There’s more but I know It’ll bore some.
Hoping a lot of these comments are TIC.
We’re long past sending a Frigate as WIGS, this role ideally would have been conducted by an RFA with embarked stores and a helicopter, very useful in HADR roles to reach people and bring supplies, and monitor drug smugglers.
But, some clever clogs got rid of Wave Knight and Wave Ruler, who had conducted this role in recent years.
The River is ok, pity no helicopter though.
Not a lot of stores either, but room for a drone! They will at least be able to see the people who have had there life washed away.
Sorry for the ‘attitude’ it is Friday afterall.
She’s “Merlin Capable” so not unable to carry one.
An Apache would be Ideal.
Wildcat, surely? Can carry Martlet on one side and leave the other door free for the Marine sniper team, while if Camcopter is still going they can carry that in a container and deploy it organically.
Yes mate, a big pad.
But, no hanger. For anything more than lilypadding not ideal at all.
Yup but that was a consideration when the B2’s were being conceived.
As TorpedoJ says, Ideal for a Wildcat and a Tarp/Telescopic shelter. We had a long few decades where Helo’s were exposed, think Wasps.
TIC bah! A carrier is the very least we should use for this 👍😉
Complete with F35s.
This is surely a role where we could do with a rather larger and more fighty ship. The ideal would be a 3,000 ton corvette, complete with hangar and embarking a Merlin. A corvette is really the minimum size of warship that can carry out a useful humanitarian role and also, if properly armed, act as an escort and go in harm’s way.
I’ve mentioned before the Khareef class OPVs built by Vosper/BAE for Oman, they are larger and much better armed than a River, so of greater value in a balanced fleet. While corvettes are being built for several European navies, including the European Patrol Corvette, the RN has always eschewed corvettes, fearing that politicians and Treasury will view them as frigate-equivalents and cut
the escort fleet further. So we have a less-capable little ship doing Caribbean and Pacific duties.
The Rivers should really be back here in home waters and a more capable minor warship sharing overseas patrol duties with the T31.
Sold.
Now go sell It to Labour !
Oh hang on, Reform might be a better bet.
( “I crack myself up” Goose, Top Gun ) 😁
Sound like a nice jolly to me chasing speed boats in the Caribbean Sea by day and partying with the locals on an evening.
its really a message to Orange Idiot. Be nice to see her on a goodwill visit to Cuba…now THAT would screw with his head.
This is where a fleet of 3 x LPD vessels on rotation would be ideal.
1 in maintenance
1 on standby in UK or on exercise with marines etc.
1 acting ss humanitarean / anti Drug mothership vessel.
Humanitarean vessel fitted with civil engineering kit, water purification, power gen skids and field hospital etc.
1/3 the funding can then come from the overseas aid provisions.
You could send robocop and the terminator. Drugs win. British built on drugs aka opium. You know your politicians snort it up. Your losers in this war coz u are hypocrites and wrong doers.