The following article is taken from the latest issue of the Globe & Laurel magazine.
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As part of Atlantic Patrol Task (North), a team of two Mnes from Support Coy, embarked HMS Dauntless whilst alongside in Jacksonville, Florida. The focus of the operation was the disruption and interdiction of narcotics moving through the Caribbean. The team integrated with the ship’s company and the US Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) and quickly set sail into an operational window.
Operations were initially limited due to ship maintenance challenges. However, this provided the opportunity to conduct several high-level defence engagements, focused on the Overseas British Territories, such as the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat. Most notable was the work conducted in the Bahamas, where the crew worked tirelessly to enhance the capital’s hurricane shelters as part of a disaster relief exercise. High level diplomatic visits to the ship were also conducted, with the President of the Dominican Republic being hosted and given presentations on the ship’s capabilities. Whilst alongside, the crew were also able to participate in several sporting and adventurous training activities, including a ten-mile march across the island.
With maintenance complete the ship returned to operations, seeing the team support several targeted boarding operations. The most unusual culminated in a rescue at sea of those onboard the suspect vessel, as they scuttled their boat prior to being boarded. The most rewarding was the last, which resulted in warning shots from the helicopter door gun being fired, and when not heeded, the team were able to successfully stop the vessel by utilising precision non-lethal disabling fire to stop the engines. The LEDET boarding team then closed with the vessel and began the process of detaining the individuals onboard. Concurrently, the team set about recovering the packages that had been jettisoned during the previous chase. Once back onboard, the USCG team began building their case pack to prosecute the suspects. This led to eight individuals being detained and upwards of 600kg of cocaine being seized and denied.
Overall, the deployment was highly successful. Defence Engagement opportunities were well received by host nations and enjoyed by the crew. However, the jewel in the crown of the deployment was the aggregated value of drugs interdicted and taken out of the supply chain totalling $180-200m, a headline grabbing figure that gained national media coverage.
Read more from the Journal of the Royal Marines
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Globe & Laurel – RMA – The Royal Marines Charity (rma-trmc.org)
