A Lone VM with Crisis Response Troops

Scribes: LCpl Jones and Cpl Huckstep

Humanitarian Aid to the Caribbean Islands during the core Hurricane Season

CR Tp on route to the Caribbean Islands

On 29 March 2020, 24 Commando Royal Engineers, 4 Tp 59 Sqn deployed as part of Special Purpose Task Group along with other elements within 3 Commando Brigade. Travelling from RMB Chivenor, North Devon to HMS Drake, Plymouth, we embarked onto RFA Argus for the upcoming deployment.

Sailing across the Atlantic in sea states five and six proved a little too much for some members of Crisis Response Troops (CR Tp), who were confined to their pits for most of the sail. The first task given to the Troop was to conduct a ‘recce’ of a potential HLS in Bermuda for the upcoming hurricane season. From there, we travelled to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) - Anguilla and Montserrat.

Montserrat was the first island we stepped onto after five weeks at sea. It had a large volcanic eruption in the 1990s, which destroyed the capital, Plymouth. Although tragic, this event provided an ideal training area. This highlighted the true power of Mother Nature and what could be expected in the future.

After landing, helicopters offloaded the underslung equipment and the quad bikes. On the first day we cleared brambles and bushes to allow the quads and trailers to get through the thick vegetation.

The following day we simulated several medical serials, something that will be vital for when disaster strikes. This varied from small lacerations to suspected spinal injuries and was run by the medical staff from RFA Argus. On the third day on Montserrat, we explored Plymouth and to this day the town remains in the exclusion zone with many of the buildings still lying under massive amounts of ash and pyroclastic flows.

Sailing on to Turks and Caicos, we spent three days conducting several tasks. This compromised of ‘recces’ and setting up a mock aid and distribution point for COVID-19. Whilst most of the Troop conducted this task, the RE Fitters and myself had the task of ‘seeing what we could do’, with some vehicles in dire need of attention.

Where concurrent activity could be conducted, we carried out user familiarisation and maintenance training on the quads. We identified some minor issues such as fuel problems, which came

Previous hurricane damage Post PT shoot

from a faulty tap and transmission issues as diagnosed as the revs on the engine being too high. After getting our hands dirty, we continued with routine maintenance and inspections but were forced to conduct MEIs due to a safety notice turning all quad bikes non-taskworthy.

We also had the opportunity to carry out a PT competition. We decided to take part in some ‘CrossFit Games’ which took place over three days, consisting of a different workout on each day. First was a workout dedicated to Drummer Lee Rigby, the second part was a 500m best effort row, and then the final exercise was a leg destruction. Each workout worked off a scoring system to see who would be victorious at the end.

Fast-forward to June; we sailed around the Cayman Islands where we assisted the locals at the Queen Elizabeth Botanical Gardens. We carried out a lot of landscape repairs, felling trees and cleaning up the general area. We also pushed trees back and trimmed them down, to help stop the blue iguanas from getting killed by the bigger and more fierce green iguanas. If a green iguana was killed, the bounty was $5.

We also simulated more CASEVAC serials with the Troop, working closely with boat crews from 47 Commando, MAOT from Commando Helicopter Force and the Wildcat from 815 Sqn. This was to ensure we could operate within the ‘Golden Hour’ if injuries were to occur whilst deployed.

Prior to putting our feet up, we conducted charity work for Green Phenix, Curacao. This charity takes washed up plastics off local beaches, sorts it, cleans it, and then melts it down to build furniture or powders for their plastic 3D printers. We helped the charity by painting a new venue in the local mall. The place looked brand new and ready for the printers and shredders to move in. The whole renovation can be seen on Instagram: @greenphenixcuracao or @caribbeancommandos.

After two weeks shore leave, we returned to training and started exercising with our NATO allies, the Dutch Marines. This involved various physical challenges such as; hill runs, the Dutch Marines swim test and tabbing over the mountains in 30+ degrees heat.

After returning to Plymouth, we carried out more ‘fast roping’ from Merlin helicopters of 845 Naval Air Squadron, onto a hill beside the active and still venting, volcano. We descended through thick foliage on to the pyroclastic flows back to the harbour at Plymouth, where we undertook more training serials in readiness for any deployment into any British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or Commonwealth Islands.

At this point, the hurricanes and tropical storms were coming thick and fast. The ship was deployed to Honduras to assist the Americans with fuel for their Chinooks after it had been hit by Hurricane Eta. Soon after arriving in Honduras we had to move south to avoid Hurricane Iota as it barrelled towards Honduras. When we arrived back off the coast of Honduras, CR Tp set about lifting water and rations through the aircraft hangers to the flight deck, where the Merlins of 845 Sqn ferried it ashore.

By the end of the hurricane season, the Atlantic and Caribbean had seen a record high of 30 named storms, of which 13 became Hurricanes. Of these 13, six became major hurricanes, with one, Hurricane Iota, becoming Cat 5.

Fortunately, no Commonwealth country or BOT was hit by a major hurricane this year. The ship as a whole had a successful deployment, delivering over 100 tonnes of UK aid and assessing damage to Honduras after being hit by two major Hurricanes.

In addition to delivering humanitarian aid, the Troop assisted the US Coastguard LEDET in stopping seven boats carrying drugs, capturing 18 detainees and stopping 4,723 kgs of drugs worth an estimated £377.8m.

Botanical Garden assistance

Montserrat Hills Dropping the Troop off