Lieutenant Ci’re Bean Trains With Royal Navy
A Royal Bermuda Regiment soldier who signed up for a stint of life on the ocean wave has just finished a major disaster relief exercise in the Caribbean.
Lieutenant Ci’re Bean was attached to the Royal Navy’s HMS Medway to help plan and carry out a humanitarian aid and relief exercises in the Turks & Caicos.
The 23-year-old, from Sandys, was deployed with the UK’s Caribbean Task Group as he had experience in hurricane response work with the RBR.
Lt Bean said: “One of the main purposes of the RBR is to assist with disaster relief, especially with the frequency of hurricanes.
RBR Lt Ci’re Bean on board the Royal Navy’s HMS Medway off the Turks & Caicos [Photograph, Royal Navy]
“While attached to the Task Group, I have seen how everything works on a bigger scale, from the planning process beforehand, through to the coordinating instructions and execution of the plan.
“These are skills that I will be able to use on my return to Bermuda to assist with future disaster relief pre-planning.”
The RN Task Group is made up of HMS Medway, a River class patrol ship, the Wildcat helicopter-equipped Royal Fleet Auxiliary fast tanker Wave Knight, as well as the Crisis Response Troop from 24 Commando Royal Engineers.
The Task Group is also equipped with specialist equipment and emergency supplies for use in the aftermath of a disaster.
Lt Bean said life aboard ship was a new and interesting experience.
RBR soldier Lt Ci’re Bean joins the crew of one of HMS Medway’s fast patrol boats [Photograph, Royal Navy]
He added he had enjoyed working alongside British and American colleagues and adapting to a life at sea.
But Lt Bean admitted the tradition of throwing dice to see who ends up washing the dishes after a meal had often found him on the losing end.
Humanitarian aid and disaster relief exercises – abbreviated to HADREx – are conducted regularly by the Task Group.
The exercises, held during the hurricane season, were designed to develop skills and work with partners in the region to develop interoperability and better deal with natural disasters.
