Former Capital Plymouth Gives Stark Reminder to British Navy Men

  The abandoned former capital Plymouth is serving as a backdrop to the British Navy’s ongoing two-day exercise, taking place in the southern part of the island.

The exercise, in preparation for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, is spearheaded by the Royal Navy’s Caribbean task group, including helicopter carrier/support ship RFA Argus and the Royal Navy’s permanent presence in the region, HMS Medway.

Merlin pilot Captain Anne Bloechle, a US Marine Corps officer on exchange with 845 Naval Air Squadron, says the airborne view of the abandoned city served as a powerful reminder of the impact of natural disasters – and reinforced the need for Argus’ presence to enable rapid humanitarian relief. 

She says if a disaster should occur during this hurricane season, the support helicopters can bring supplies and personnel from ship to remote locations ashore.

Bloechle indicated that the recent flights have familiarized aircrew with the island to ensure the best possible support to those living in nature’s destructive path.

The southern two-thirds of the island remains out of bounds for most activities, the result of a series of eruptions from the Soufrière Hills volcano, which had been dormant for hundreds of years.

The crisis reached its climax in 1997, destroying 80 per cent of Plymouth, destroying the island’s only hospital and airport, burying it in mud and ash up to 12 metres deep.

Lieutenant Mark Jones says it is important to provide help to the Overseas Territories when needed, reflecting on hearing about the volcano on Montserrat as a young boy, and seeing firsthand the devastation caused in 2017 by Hurricane Irma.