Navy
Friends And Family Welcome Back HMS Severn
Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Severn has returned home to Portsmouth following a successful eight-month deployment across the Caribbean where she provided security and reassurance to the British Overseas Territories and dependencies.
Whilst away, the ship visited 29 ports, strengthening bonds across 20 different countries and islands, where she was also on standby to assist in the event of a natural disaster.
She has travelled over 30,000 miles visiting all of the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean - Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Anguilla and Grand Cayman.
During these visits, the 48 ship’s company carried out training with local maritime fisheries enforcement agencies, worked with the Red Cross and got involved with the local community.
The ship’s doctor and medical team offered medical training and the crew painted children’s homes, took part in sporting competitions and disaster relief exercises.
Strengthening ties and sharing expertise was an important part of the deployment.
HMS Severn’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Steven Banfield, said:
“Our thanks must go to our families who we look forward to seeing with great anticipation at our homecoming. Without their support we would not be able to do the job we love and would not have achieved as much as we have done in the past eight months.”
The later stages of the deployment saw HMS Severn take part in a multi-national Caribbean exercise called Tradewinds 15, working alongside the Mexican Navy, US Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy and Belizean Coastguard units as well as coastguards from the Eastern Caribbean.
Exercising in the waters off St Kitts and Nevis and Belize, the aim was to improve the ability of the nations to carry out a combined operation, responding to natural disasters and dealing with organised crime – two reasons why Severn was in the Caribbean.
The ship also conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean as part of the international effort to deter drug smuggling at sea. The Royal Navy has been involved in many counter-narcotic operations over the years, preventing millions of pounds worth of drugs reaching UK shores.
Able Seaman Ryan Partington, 25 said:
“It’s been a fantastic deployment. I’ve visited more places over the last eight months than I have in my seven year Navy career, done a multi-national exercise and helped local communities all over the Caribbean.
Now I’m looking forward to seeing my son and my parents as we get back alongside in Portsmouth.”
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