In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, HMS Trent and her embarked 24 Commando engineers are actively supporting recovery efforts in the Cayman Islands.
The ship’s crew shared an update on Twitter, stating, “TRENT and her embarked 24 Commando engineers continue to support The Cayman Islands following hurricane Beryl, building relationships and sharing knowledge in preparation for the rest of the season #HurricaneBeryl #FwdDeployed @24CdoRE.”
The hurricane, which caused significant damage across the region, prompted a swift response from the Royal Navy and its specialist units.
The 24 Commando engineers aboard HMS Trent are playing a crucial role in the recovery efforts. Their expertise in engineering and construction is vital for rebuilding infrastructure and ensuring that the island is prepared for future weather events.
TRENT and her embarked 24 Commando engineers continue to support The Cayman Islands following hurricane Beryl, building relationships and sharing knowledge in preparation for the rest of the season #HurricaneBeryl #FwdDeployed @24CdoRE pic.twitter.com/jhf7I2axLN
— HMS Trent (@HMSTrent) July 6, 2024
The vessel is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel, designed for a variety of missions including counter-piracy, anti-smuggling, fishery protection, and humanitarian aid. Equipped with advanced navigation and communication systems, the ship can operate independently or as part of a task force.
HMS Trent is also using a drone to help the island.
“The hurricane, which has previously been rated Category 5, could bring winds of more than 155mph and has already caused a large amount of destruction in the region this week. HMS Trent is crewed by more than 50 sailors and departed from Puerto Rico yesterday, carrying bottled water, basic emergency supplies, and equipment.
The ship has a Crisis Response Troop embarked, comprising members of 24 Commando Royal Engineers and their equipment, and further augmented with personnel to support planning, information operations, meteorological forecasting, and image capture.
Additional personnel include a team from 700X Naval Air Squadron who provide HMS Trent’s embarked PUMA Flight (Remote Piloted Air System), allowing them to conduct airborne reconnaissance and damage assessment in direct support of 24 Commando activity.”
Ummm, RFA Bay class w/ helicopter(s), to be dispatched, please? Limiting factor RFA manning and/or vessel availability? Met.
models forecast an active and fraught hurricane season. 😳
Not long since I was last there visiting former colleagues in and around Georgetown. Nice place, if a bit sparse and ramshackle. Hope the people haven’t been too badly effected
Grenada or Caymans?
Grand Cayman. Lot of back office investment work out there so a number of former colleagues ended up moving there for the huge salaries and zero tax. Nice enough place but dreadfully dull to spend your entire life there, it is tiny and there is very little to do or see
Need to go back to WIGS with a major unit that has trained manpower aboard which was the case in the past and saved countless lives because of it. An OPV is a token effort only. About time we spent some of that World Aid Fund on getting kit that can really help folks around the World in need rather than much of it getting wasted or ‘lost’ on the way there. Service folks also feel better when they can actually HELP those in need a win all round for the UK and those we are supposed to care about……
I think we need to build at least 3 auxilliary support RFAs of around 10.000t @20kn. These would be merchant vessels of half the tonnage of the Bays with side loading RoRo access and helicopter hanger and deck. Could be very valuable for disaster relief and OPV type missions. We need this kind of ship for a multitude of tasks in coordination with the OPV’s giving access to most smaller ports. I sailed on a ship of this size in the MN before we scrapped all ours probably because it was so vastly over manned but could go anywhere at… Read more »