'Badly-injured sailor' treated by medics from HMS Prince of Wales during HMS Duncan drill
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The medical team were pressed into action after receiving a 999 call
Highly-trained medics were pressed into action to treat a sailor’s injuries while operating in the Norwegian Sea.
The Royal Navy said personnel on HMS Prince of Wales tested their ability to ‘help a badly-injured sailor’ during a complex training drill. The 65,000 tonne carrier is currently taking part in various exercises under Operation Firecrest.
After receiving a mock 999 call from the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, practitioners under the Maritime Medical Emergency Response Team (MMERT) scrambled onto a Merlin helicopter.
This particular aircraft, previously designed to be a submarine hunting variant, was reconfigured to transport casualties. Mock drills saw personnel transport the injured sailor, found deep in the bowels of HMS Duncan, to the aircraft to receive treatment.
The MMERT comprises of an emergency medicine and pre-hospital emergency medicine consultant, paramedic, and critical care transfer nurse. They are all trained to deliver advanced pre-hospital trauma care in challenging maritime environments to treat, stabilise and transfer critically-ill patients.
Having assess the casualty, the medics recovered the patient to the Merlin, provided critical care on the short flight, and stabilise them for future treatment. The exercise formed part of wider training designed to maintain high readiness across HMS Prince of Wales’ carrier group. Alongside HMS Duncan and RFA Tidespring, the UK Carrier Strike Group will be completing various military drills with Nato allies.
Commanding Officer Captain Ben Power said: “HMS Prince of Wales stands ready as the nation’s flagship to demonstrate the United Kingdom’s commitment to NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force. My thanks go to our families who continue to show unwavering support as we deploy for a period away from home waters.”
Commander James Mitchell, Commanding Officer of HMS Duncan, added: “HMS Duncan brings world-class air defence capability to the Carrier Strike Group, providing essential protection to HMS Prince of Wales and other high-value units. Training alongside our allies in the North Atlantic and High North strengthens our ability to operate as an integrated and resilient force.”