Medical facilities on RFA Cardigan Bay were put to the most thorough test in the ship’s life as she was thrust into a two-day mass casualty drill in the Gulf.
The 18-strong team in her sick bay were expected to deal with victims of explosions during a major international mine warfare exercise.
Pictures: PO(Phot) Paul A’Barrow, FRPU East and Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen, US Navy
LET(WE) Kevin Sproston helps a bloodied American sailor away from a Seahawk helicopter – and a two-day exercise to test the medical facilities on RFA Cardigan Bay begins in earnest in the Gulf.
As part of her key role in a major mine warfare exercise running right now, the amphibious support ship’s medical team were put under pressure to see whether they could respond to a mass casualty incident.
Given the background of the exercise that incident was a simulated mine strike: an explosion ripping through the hull of a merchantman, wounding six sailors. Two were in danger of losing limbs, another could not breathe, a fourth was badly burned.
Surg Cdrs John Mathews and Catherine Doran prepare to ‘amputate’ John Pickup’s arm in Cardigan Bay’s sick bay
Built to support the Royal Marines amphibious operations, Cardigan Bay is proving equally adept as a floating command and support ship for the Royal Navy’s four-strong minehunting force in the Gulf.
She’s been at the hub of the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise for the past fortnight – home to Dutch, Belgian, American, French and Japanese divers, plus patrol craft, a Royal Navy battle staff, as well as providing supplies and fuel for any of the 30-plus ships taking part which might require them.
The ship is also equipped with a sizeable sick bay, brought to life for the mine exercise by 18 surgeons and medics to test the concept of a Joint Role Two Medical Team (JR2MT).
PO(NN) Scott Gilbert, RAF Flight Sergeant Ross Cairnie and Surg Cdrs Richard Heames and Catherine Doran discuss how to treat the casualty
Role Two medical aid is damage control surgery – performing immediate, life-saving operations so that the patient can be transferred to hospital for more comprehensive, long-term care.
It’s the first time the concept – regularly practised in the field, such as at Chivenor by the Royal Marines Forward Surgical Group back in March – has been tried out on Cardigan Bay or either of her two sisters, Lyme and Mounts Bay.
“Our first main training aim is to validate ourselves in our ability to operate fromthis type of ship and deal with patients using the facilities on board,” explains Surg Cdr Richard Heames, in charge of the JR2MT.
"We're also here to provide support to the exercise, offering ‘real world’ cover to everyone involved."
Lt John Coates briefs Surg Cdr Darren Illingworth on the status of a casualty
The two-day mass casualty exercise – a mine strike aboard a minehunter was also thrown into the mix – drew upon numerous ships,
helicopter and boat movements, and a great deal of co-ordination.
And like the exercise at Chivernor, the medics called on the services of Amputees in Action to give the training added realism.
A specialist make-up artist provided the gore and two actors the groans, screams and yells.
“It's been a great experience all round,” said John Pickup, playing one of the casualties – and also Amputees in Action’s director.
“The reality of our injuries enables us to play very real, but simulated, casualties and provide a realistic level of training that a lot of people wouldn't normally be exposed to.”
People like Cardigan Bay’s LH Jacqueline Todd, for example.
Amputees in Action make-up artist Jenny Bucklant applies the gory details to Pet Thomas, one of two actors playing the part of badly-injured sailors during the casualty exercise.
"I've dealt with broken bones before, and that's what I had on the first day of the exercise," she said. "However the amputee casualty was something new.
“I didn't stop to think about how gory and realistic the injury was. I just remembered my training, and knew I had to get a tourniquet on to stop him bleeding.
"He came up to me afterwards and thanked me for my efforts, telling me that if I'd done what I did for real I would have saved his life. I asked him how he knew: Because you tied it really tight!”
Trauma nurse LNN Lesley Robinson was delighted with the outcome of the two-day exercise. “Everything
came together during the exercise. We were able to deploy and set up out here within 48 hours, and during the scenario everything went really well.
"The Amputees in Action and the make-up all add a huge sense of realism to the trauma cases we have to deal with."
