Photo: Royal Navy
We’ve said it before – aircraft carriers get almost all the attention and praise, even though there are many other seriously-skilled types of military vessels operating behind the scenes. Royal Navy’s HMS Medway is one of them.
Not just people, but boats also deserve a nice holiday break after having done a great job throughout the year. Especially if we’re talking about military vessels. Deployed on extensive missions far away from home, these ships and their crews have important things to accomplish, while also getting to discover fascinating places all over the world.
Crew members need a rest after deployments like that, while the vessels themselves need some TLC to stay in shape for the next assignment.
In the case of Royal Navy’s HMS Medway, it’s ready to spend Christmas in sunny Florida, after successfully having completed its patrol mission in the Caribbean. HMS Medway is an offshore patrol vessel, which is a much more diverse and important role than you might think.
During this mission alone, the Royal Navy ship gave a critical helping hand to island communities hit by two hurricanes, and also played its usual “cop” role in narcotics-related operations, helping seize a huge quantity of drugs. Just like a true superhero, it saved the day (literally) and also caught the bad guys.
In order to deliver humanitarian relief, the HMS Medway is packed with emergency supplies, which include not just food and bottled water, but also generators and tools for basic repairs. The Royal Engineers of 24 Commando Regiment onboard the patrol ship are those in charge of these types of tasks.
They are well-prepared for the hurricane season running from mid-summer to the end of autumn. During this recent mission, both Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc just days from each other, in September, so the resilient patrol boat had a lot of work to do.
As for the “cop” part, it’s common for these British patrol vessels to be on the hunt, in collaboration with counterparts from other nations. In this particular case, it was the U.S. Coast Guard.
HMS Medway is one of the newest River-class offshore patrol ships to join the Royal Navy fleet. The first generation, comprised of HMS Tyne, Severn and Mersey, has been around for two decades, and needed a refresh.
That’s when the new generation came along, in 2017. The older vessels were milder, sticking to the protection of fishing stocks. But the younger ones are larger and stronger, which is why they take on much more serious tasks. At 90.5-meters (297 feet) they can hit 24 knots (27.6 mph/44.4 kph) and pack some serious weapons (a remote fully-automated gun for missile protection and a short-range anti-aircraft gun).
Crew members need a rest after deployments like that, while the vessels themselves need some TLC to stay in shape for the next assignment.
In the case of Royal Navy’s HMS Medway, it’s ready to spend Christmas in sunny Florida, after successfully having completed its patrol mission in the Caribbean. HMS Medway is an offshore patrol vessel, which is a much more diverse and important role than you might think.
During this mission alone, the Royal Navy ship gave a critical helping hand to island communities hit by two hurricanes, and also played its usual “cop” role in narcotics-related operations, helping seize a huge quantity of drugs. Just like a true superhero, it saved the day (literally) and also caught the bad guys.
In order to deliver humanitarian relief, the HMS Medway is packed with emergency supplies, which include not just food and bottled water, but also generators and tools for basic repairs. The Royal Engineers of 24 Commando Regiment onboard the patrol ship are those in charge of these types of tasks.
They are well-prepared for the hurricane season running from mid-summer to the end of autumn. During this recent mission, both Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc just days from each other, in September, so the resilient patrol boat had a lot of work to do.
As for the “cop” part, it’s common for these British patrol vessels to be on the hunt, in collaboration with counterparts from other nations. In this particular case, it was the U.S. Coast Guard.
HMS Medway is one of the newest River-class offshore patrol ships to join the Royal Navy fleet. The first generation, comprised of HMS Tyne, Severn and Mersey, has been around for two decades, and needed a refresh.
That’s when the new generation came along, in 2017. The older vessels were milder, sticking to the protection of fishing stocks. But the younger ones are larger and stronger, which is why they take on much more serious tasks. At 90.5-meters (297 feet) they can hit 24 knots (27.6 mph/44.4 kph) and pack some serious weapons (a remote fully-automated gun for missile protection and a short-range anti-aircraft gun).
Google News