Caribbean

Discuss current, historical or potential future deployments, as well the defence of the UK's overseas interests.
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GibMariner
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Caribbean

Post by GibMariner »

For news & discussion about UK interests in the Caribbean, Atlantic Patrol Task North and the British Overseas Territories in the wider region; namely Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat & Turks and Caicos Islands.

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GibMariner
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Re: Caribbean

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Royal Navy team train police in the Caribbean
The Royal Navy has successfully delivered navigation and small craft courses in the Caribbean.

Over four weeks, 22 marine police officers from the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories developed and improved their knowledge of handling small vessels, learning a variety of tactics, techniques and procedures to help with maritime security patrols.

A further 12 officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force Marine Unit were taught engineering and maintenance procedures and practices.

The courses were delivered by the Royal Navy International Maritime Training Team (IMTT) as part of a project between the Royal Turks and Caicos Police and the UK Defence Section in Jamaica.

WO2 Martin Power, officer in charge of the five-strong IMTT, said: “This training is very important in the global challenge of securing international maritime borders and for enhancing relations between the UK and UK Overseas Territories.
http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-la ... -caribbean

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GibMariner
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Re: Caribbean

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British Navy Vessel to Aid in Bahamas Hurricane Relief if Needed
British Navy Vessel HMS Mersey will visit The Bahamas, June 6th -10th. HMS Mersey is one of the Royal Navy’s four River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels.

Acting High Commissioner to the Bahamas, Julia Sutherland said “We are happy that HMS Mersey is able to visit the Bahamas. This is another symbol of our commitment to improving UK – Bahamas relations. Her presence provides an opportunity for us to engage with the Bahamian government and citizens. Following on the work of RFA Lyme Bay after the passage of Hurricane Joaquin, HMS Mersey will be available to provide support to the region during this hurricane season, to be succeeded by RFA Wave Knight in July. We look forward to welcoming as many persons as possible on board. ”
http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish ... 8671.shtml

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GibMariner
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Re: Caribbean

Post by GibMariner »

RFA Wave Knight on Atlantic Patrol Tasking North: http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-la ... ave-knight

Visited the Dominican Republic:


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Re: Caribbean

Post by marktigger »

:cry:

Plastic Frigate

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GibMariner
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Re: Caribbean

Post by GibMariner »

RFA Wave Knight in the British Virgin Islands:



Caribbean
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Re: Caribbean

Post by Caribbean »

It looks as if the crew of RFA Wave Knight are going to be busy over the next few weeks. It's just been announced that Hurricane Matthew has intensified to a Category 5 storm. It dropped 13 inches of rain in 12 hours on St Lucia when it was just a tropical storm, but it's grown massively since then. Eye wall wind speeds are now over 160 mph and it has gone from tropical storm to Cat 5 in just over one day (with some very hot water out there to pick up more energy from). Current predictions are that it's Jamaica, then Hispaniola, Cuba and the Bahamas that are going to bear the brunt of this one.
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Drive555
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Re: Caribbean

Post by Drive555 »

Cuba and the Bahamas that are going to bear the brunt of this one.
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Caribbean
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Re: Caribbean

Post by Caribbean »

A slightly different take on forward basing? We only pay 25% of the cost

Some of the comments on the article are quite illuminating on attitudes towards "The Mother Country" :lol:

https://caymannewsservice.com/2018/12/c ... s-chopper/
The Cayman Islands will be getting a new H145 helicopter from Airbus next year after the Foreign Office Overseas Territories Minister, Lord Ahmad, and Premier Alden McLaughlin signed a memorandum of understanding in London on Friday, paving the way for a shared deal to buy the new machine for the RCIPS Air Operations Unit. Government officials said the UK will cover 25% of the purchase price and running costs, with Cayman providing the balance. The overall cost of the helicopter is just over US$11 million, which includes equipment and a training package.

The new helicopter, which will be used alongside the AOU’s existing chopper, will boost Cayman’s capability in the areas of search and rescue, law enforcement and border protection operations. It will also be used to respond to disasters and other emergency situations in the other British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. It is hoped that the helicopter can be brought into operational use in mid to late 2019.
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Caribbean

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

GibMariner wrote:Over four weeks, 22 marine police officers from the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories developed and improved their knowledge of handling small vessels, learning a variety of tactics, techniques and procedures to help with maritime security patrols.

A further 12 officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force Marine Unit were taught engineering and maintenance procedures and practices.

The courses were delivered by the Royal Navy International Maritime Training Team (IMTT)
The first time I stumbled across this thread, and was surprised to find only one mention in any way
related to the anti-narco tasking... I guess there would be something on the Rivers thread
- other than that & HADR... what are we doing there? It is not like there is "an Argentina" lurking

Happy Xmas, anyway!
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Re: Caribbean

Post by Caribbean »

The Rivers haven't made any significant or newsworthy "busts", since they started in the role. I guess they are getting on with the less-spectacular intelligence gathering and routine patrol stuff etc, but the USN and USCG seem to be the ones that are making the running on the anti-narco stuff. The biggest contribution to recent busts was using one of their sea-boats for a prisoner transfer between two US vessels.
This is an area where we should, IMO be trialling containerised rotary- and fixed-wing unmanned systems, to extend the River's "area of influence". Maybe that will come along when the B2's start work.

Further to the article I posted above, I've seen a few hints that there may be some investment in locally-based surface craft for EEZ patrol, as well, since most of the Caribbean BOTs only have smaller coastal patrol boats, with a few around 20-25m or so, though I suspect that not all of the islands have the skills, or more importantly, the political will, to maintain equipment to the needed standard and funding at the necessary level.
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Caribbean

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

Some sensitivities around the boardings = not to be done by military
- I wonder if we still get teams from US agencies (incl. the CG, which is not "military")? Or don't do such "stuff" at all?
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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Re: Caribbean

Post by Caribbean »

As I understand it, regardless of who detains them initially, if they are in international waters the arrests are still usually made by US Agencies, so that trial can be in US Courts. If it's inside a BOT's territorial waters, (where the US have no authority and handing the perpetrators over could be challenged legally), the RN could detain them, with handover to the relevant BOT's Marine Police for arrest.
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill

abc123
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Re: Caribbean

Post by abc123 »

Any word about new base in Montserrat?
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What's her position about heavily armed, well prepared and overmanned armies?
Oh, noone's ever heard of Fortune favoring them, sir.
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Re: Caribbean

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(Forces TV) 21st January 2020
Hurricane Dorian was one of the most powerful cyclones to hit the Bahamas, killing dozens of people. We followed British military personnel as they carried out life-saving work in the region.

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Re: Caribbean

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Caribbean earthquake of 7.7 triggers tsunami warnings
Image
(BBC News) 28th January 2020
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck in the Caribbean, prompting brief tsunami warnings for parts of the region, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Tuesday.

The quake hit between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the USGS said.

Buildings shook and tremors were felt as far away as Miami, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Warnings by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) were later withdrawn.

The PTWC initially said "hazardous tsunami waves" were possible for coasts located within 300km (186 miles) of the earthquake's epicentre.

This included parts of Belize, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, it said.

But in an update at around 20:45 GMT, the PTWC said the "tsunami threat had now largely passed".

Seismologist Dr Lucy Jones tweeted: "The M7.7 Jamaican quake produced sideways motion on the fault, so the tsunami risk is low."

The epicentre of the quake, initially reported as magnitude-7.3 before being upgraded, was 125 km north-west of Lucea, Jamaica.

Shaking has been reported in the Cuban capital, Havana, and in Kingston, Jamaica.

"I felt the house trembling and realised that it was a quake," Kingston resident Jawara Rawjers told AFP news agency.

Machel Emanuel, a doctor in the same city, added: "I was on the second floor of a building and there was a sustained shaking of the building. I felt dizzy. The door was slamming consistently for a while."

In the Cayman Islands, a warning to "move away from coastal areas" was issued by the government but stood down a few hours later.

On Twitter, Cayman authorities said there were "only a few reports of structural damage to buildings" and shelters were being opened as a precaution.

Mikhail Campbell, a police media relations officer in the Cayman Islands, told Reuters news agency he was not immediately aware of any reports of serious damage.

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: Caribbean

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

The often raised question re: the legal basis of USCG/ DEA doing bordings may have an answer in this
"the U.S. has sought to combat drug trafficking by signing the Shiprider Agreements (full name: Agreement Concerning Co-operation in Suppressing Illicit Maritime Drug Trafficking). These agreements brought together a number of regional states, such as Barbados in 1996 and Jamaica in 2004. In certain cases, Shiprider allows the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy to board and detain vessels when going through the territorial waters of Caribbean states if there is evidence or well-founded suspicion that said vessels are committing a crime, such as drug trafficking. Depending on the nature of the bilateral agreement, U.S. agents can ride in local coast guard ships or vice-versa."
- as these are agreements (plural, as they are bilateral), is it that we have also signed such an agreement?
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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Re: Caribbean

Post by SW1 »

Are we offering any assistance looks pretty grim

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-56707956

There has been another "explosive event" at a volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, with power outages and water supplies cut off.
The La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday, blanketing the island in a layer of ash and forcing some 16,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Residents in Barbados, nearly 200km (about 124 miles) to the east, have also been urged to stay indoors.
Scientists warn that eruptions could continue for days - or even weeks.
On Sunday, St Vincent's emergency management organisation Nemo tweeted: "Massive power outage following another explosive event at La Soufriere Volcano. Lightning, thunder and rumblings. Majority of the country out of power and covered in ash."

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said water supplies to most of the island had been cut off and its airspace closed because of the smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash moving through the atmosphere.
Mr Gonsalves said thousands of residents had been sleeping in emergency shelters since Friday. "It's a huge operation that is facing us," he told NBC News.

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Re: Caribbean

Post by SW1 »

Haiti appears to be in desperate trouble again

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-58215631

A powerful earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti, killing at least 227 people.
The 7.2-magnitude quake hit the west of the country on Saturday morning, toppling and damaging buildings including churches and hotels.
The prime minister said there was "extensive damage" in some areas, and declared a month-long state of emergency.
Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.
The epicentre of Saturday's quake was about 12km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The tremor was felt in the densely-populated capital of Port-au-Prince, some 125km away, and in neighbouring countries.

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Re: Caribbean

Post by SW1 »



A job to tackle for our offshore patrol vessel……

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Re: Caribbean

Post by Tempest414 »

This is why we need the RB2's to be upgraded to have SAAB X1 3d radar and a 40mm main gun as a base line and if needed a CAMM pod could be added and also a Camcopter or Jackal drone with LMM could be a good fit

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Re: Caribbean

Post by SW1 »

Tempest414 wrote: 27 Jul 2023, 14:53 This is why we need the RB2's to be upgraded to have SAAB X1 3d radar and a 40mm main gun as a base line and if needed a CAMM pod could be added and also a Camcopter or Jackal drone with LMM could be a good fit
Or a general purpose frigate

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Re: Caribbean

Post by Tempest414 »

SW1 wrote: 27 Jul 2023, 15:21
Tempest414 wrote: 27 Jul 2023, 14:53 This is why we need the RB2's to be upgraded to have SAAB X1 3d radar and a 40mm main gun as a base line and if needed a CAMM pod could be added and also a Camcopter or Jackal drone with LMM could be a good fit
Or a general purpose frigate
Or that yes but in real terms what would be the cost of upgrading the RB2's with the SAAB 3d radar and a USV capable of carrying 2 LMM say 4 million per ship

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Re: Caribbean

Post by SW1 »

Security situation in the Caribbean deteriorating

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Re: Caribbean

Post by wargame_insomniac »

SW1 wrote: 30 Nov 2023, 15:05 Security situation in the Caribbean deteriorating

Shame that HMS Dauntless is no longer in the area.

I belive that HMS Medway is returning to Carribean from her deployment in Falklands, (covering for HMS Forth's refit).

A River B2 OPV is great providing forward presence in low risk areas, assisting with patrollig and policing BIOT's Maritime EEZ, and conducting anti-drug smuggling actions. But if actual conflict is erupting in the area, would need a warship. Ad with today's anouncements of ships to both the Baltic Sea and the Persian Gulf, the RN escorts are painfully stretched.

Guyana is not a BIOT but is part of the Commonwealth.

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