on board a Scottish ship have been hailed for saving hundreds of lives in the storm-ravaged Bahamas.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s Mounts Bay, built in Glasgow’s Govan, has been praised for its role in relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
Defence chiefs lauded the vessel and its crew for having “made a material difference to the lives of thousands of people”.
Lieutenant Colonel Anton Gash, the UK’s defence attaché to the Caribbean, said Mounts Bay personnel had been “working to the extreme parameters” of their endurance.
He said: “Mounts Bay has made a material difference to the lives of thousands of people, whether it be through getting critical aid to them or evacuating those injured or delivering medical care.
“Personnel have been working around the clock. They have been working to the extreme parameters of endurance, beyond what they were designed to do.
“Everybody on board understands the criticality of the situation, that people are genuinely suffering, and everybody is clearly prepared to go the extra mile and more.”
Royal Navy and British Army personnel are continuing to assist with the relief effort following the hurricane. They have been delivering water, shelter kits and medical care, and evacuating casualties.
A Wildcat chopper has been delivering aid from Mounts Bay to islands in the Bahamas.
At least 43 people have been killed in the islands with thousands more being evacuated, including a British citizen who was rescued by UK military personnel.
Mounts Bay spearheaded dozens of life-saving missions.
Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd, said: “The shocking level of devastation which Hurricane Dorian has caused to the Bahamas is now becoming clear.
“The men and women embarked in RFA Mounts Bay – drawn from across our defence personnel – are giving their all to provide assistance on the ground.
“I am hugely proud of their achievements so far, and I’m pleased they have been reinforced by a further medical capability. This is core business for the Royal Navy, being deployed worldwide and ready to respond whenever and wherever we are needed.”
RFA Mounts Bay is used to land tanks, lorries and other heavy equipment in war zones.
This week, an extra 18 medical personnel have been deployed to the disaster zone.
They are military staff who maintain their skills by working with the NHS in the UK.
Lieutenant Commander Anna De-Saint leads the team. She said: “It is absolutely essential that teams like us and the humanitarian teams already in the region are ready to respond to an emergency like this at short notice.
“We are held at 48 hours’ notice to move so we are a high-readiness unit who are available to go at short notice anywhere in the world.”
