'Excited' HMS Trent to tackle drug smugglers in Caribbean with Portsmouth Royal Navy ship to visit New Orleans
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
The Portsmouth-based vessel has operated extensively in the Caribbean, and undertook weeks of training for the latest mission
Determined Royal Navy sailors will be battling drug smugglers in the Caribbean after weeks of training.
Portsmouth-based warship HMS Trent is being deployed to the region after an extensive history of previous work there. Critical support will also be made to British Overseas Territories during hurricane season.
Speaking during the ship’s Atlantic voyage, Commanding Officer Commander Gavin Lowe said: “We are excited to be returning to the region after maintenance and training in the UK, and bringing a range of capabilities to support humanitarian aid and disaster relief. We’re also looking forward to resuming our counter trafficking work with our partners in the US Coast Guard and engaging with the British Overseas Territories. The crew have been working hard to be ready to re-deploy after last year’s operations, and we’re all glad to be crossing the pond to get back on task.”
HMS Trent left Plymouth over the weekend after weeks of intensive training for the operation. The River-class ship will work closely with the US Coast Guard and partners to hunt down drugs traffickers, aiming to build on their prolific record in 2024. Previous operations saw HMS Trent seize £750m of illegal cargo and hunt down a narco-sub in a historic Royal Navy first.
She will also become home to experts in humanitarian disaster response, including engineers and drone operators, as the ship patrols the Caribbean ready to help island communities in the event of a storm hitting between June and November. A pre-planned trip at New Orleans, USA, for Sail 250, is scheduled and she’ll be on the Mississippi River waterfront as part of a multi-national line-up of international naval ships.
It will be the Royal Navy’s first visit to New Orleans since 2012 when HMS Montrose helped commemorate the War of 1812 during a six-day visit. AB(AWW) Thomas Crundell said: “I’ve never been to New Orleans and I can’t wait to see it in person. I’m looking forward to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.”
Following their visit to New Orleans, HMS Trent will begin turning her attentions to work across the Caribbean, with a maintenance period leading into their mission – known as Atlantic Patrol (North), which the ship was deployed on last year. In November, the warship was dispatched to Jamaica to help communities in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, making emergency repairs to a school and hospital after the Category 5 storm.