Portsmouth-based HMS Richmond has been putting her ship’s company through their paces during operational sea training.
Designed to test the full capability of a type 23, Richmond has been conducting high intensity warfighting exercises in all environments, from air through to anti submarine operations.
However there are also a number of exercises that test the adaptability of the ship’s company to respond to other forms of tasking including humanitarian assistance operations.
Known as DISTEX (Disaster Relief Exercise), this training serial tested all of the ship’s departments on their ability to rescue and treat casualties, as well as stabilise an area that has been destroyed by natural disaster.
Following a fictitious natural disaster, HMS Richmond arrived at the Bull Point exercise area (part of HMNB Devonport) in the early hours to provide humanitarian assistance to the local population (played by a supporting cast of approximately 30 civilians) of a small village which has been destroyed by “Hurricane Amy”.
Specialist search and rescue teams deployed from HMS Richmond using the ship’s sea boats to find and treat survivors as a priority; their aim to stabilise the situation and lessen the suffering of civilians.
Richmond’s commanding officer, Commander Mark Anderson, said, “The DISTEX training that my ship’s company received underlines one of the vital aspects of capability that we may be asked to fulfil once we have deployed on operations.
“The level of realism provided by the support actors helped to simulate the trauma of dealing with casualties whilst the complex damage control and engineering repair serials faced by my engineering and command teams ashore helped to develop our disaster relief responses to a very high standard.”
HMS Richmond is conducting Basic Operational Sea Training as part of her training package to deploy on active operations in 2015.