Photo: Royal Navy
It’s never a dull moment for military patrol vessels, these sleek and powerful boats that play an essential role, even though they work mostly behind the scene. Perfectly equipped to fight off “bad guys,” the Royal Navy’s HMS Medway is also meant to offer help. And it recently saved five lives.
It would be nice to only associate the Caribbean with memorable cruise trips or lavish yacht vacations. Unfortunately, this is also the world’s second most disaster-prone region. That’s because of a dramatic mix of regular natural disasters and constant migration and refugee crises.
The HMS Medway, a patrol vessel in UK’s Royal Navy fleet, operates in this region (extending to the Atlantic) all throughout the year. After having spent the holidays in Florida, it’s now back in business, and already had to conduct a rescue operation.
While on its first patrol of 2023, the ship got a Mayday and immediately went to the rescue. Fortunately, it took less than half an hour to get to the crew that had asked for help.
Five people had been onboard a tug that was towing a large barge carrying sand, when the tug’s engines failed. The good part was that all five were able to hold on to the barge, as their tugboat was slowly starting to sink.
That’s how they were found, close to the island of Sint Maarten, nearby the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. HMS Medway was the first to respond to the SOS that had been sent by the crew, and quickly got everyone safely on board. The powerful waves did challenge the ship’s sea boat a bit, but luckily it managed to get to the tug and then bring everyone back to safety. Nobody was injured, and a search-and-rescue boat from Anguilla took over, after the rescue.
Although most ocean-going vessels that are large enough have a duty to rescue people in case of emergencies, the HMS Medway is particularly equipped to do that.
Together with HMS Trent, Tamar, and Spey, it’s part of the new generation of River Class ships. At 90.5 meters (297 feet) they are larger than the previous generation, and also faster and more powerful. Able to hit up to 24 knots (27.6 mph/44.4 kph) these young vessels also boast a 5,500-nautical mile (10,186 km) range.
Like its sister ships, HMS Medway is always prepared to deliver emergency supplies (from food to generators) in case of a humanitarian disaster. Its 50-people crew is also trained to assist people in need, so this recent rescue operation was right up its alley.
At the same time, like any patrol boat, HMS Medway packs serious guns. This includes an Oerlikon 30mm gun that’s remotely controlled from a console onboard the ship, plus a single Oerlikon KAA200 automatic cannon meant for short-range anti-aircraft defense.
The HMS Medway, a patrol vessel in UK’s Royal Navy fleet, operates in this region (extending to the Atlantic) all throughout the year. After having spent the holidays in Florida, it’s now back in business, and already had to conduct a rescue operation.
While on its first patrol of 2023, the ship got a Mayday and immediately went to the rescue. Fortunately, it took less than half an hour to get to the crew that had asked for help.
Five people had been onboard a tug that was towing a large barge carrying sand, when the tug’s engines failed. The good part was that all five were able to hold on to the barge, as their tugboat was slowly starting to sink.
That’s how they were found, close to the island of Sint Maarten, nearby the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. HMS Medway was the first to respond to the SOS that had been sent by the crew, and quickly got everyone safely on board. The powerful waves did challenge the ship’s sea boat a bit, but luckily it managed to get to the tug and then bring everyone back to safety. Nobody was injured, and a search-and-rescue boat from Anguilla took over, after the rescue.
Although most ocean-going vessels that are large enough have a duty to rescue people in case of emergencies, the HMS Medway is particularly equipped to do that.
Together with HMS Trent, Tamar, and Spey, it’s part of the new generation of River Class ships. At 90.5 meters (297 feet) they are larger than the previous generation, and also faster and more powerful. Able to hit up to 24 knots (27.6 mph/44.4 kph) these young vessels also boast a 5,500-nautical mile (10,186 km) range.
Like its sister ships, HMS Medway is always prepared to deliver emergency supplies (from food to generators) in case of a humanitarian disaster. Its 50-people crew is also trained to assist people in need, so this recent rescue operation was right up its alley.
At the same time, like any patrol boat, HMS Medway packs serious guns. This includes an Oerlikon 30mm gun that’s remotely controlled from a console onboard the ship, plus a single Oerlikon KAA200 automatic cannon meant for short-range anti-aircraft defense.
Google News