Heroic Royal Navy sailors who helped citizens rebuild after “storm of the century” return home to Portsmouth

Portsmouth-based patrol vessel HMS Trent sailed past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth this morning (January 15) after bad weather delayed her return by a day.

A cluster of naval enthusiasts greeted the River-class ship on her arrival. HMS Trent was originally deployed to the Caribbean in October 2025, after taking on operations from sister ship HMS Medway.

The ship’s company were tasked with supporting British Overseas Territories during hurricane season. They proved to be relied upon as what was described as the “storm of the century” swept across the region.

Hurricane Melissa, a category five storm, brought destruction in its wake as it hit Jamaica, Cuba and other nations. The natural disaster was the largest storm Jamaica recorded since record keeping began 174 years ago. According to the United Nations, at least 45 people were killed in hurricane, with more than 625,000 people impacted by the disaster.

The UK government committed £2.5m in emergency aid funding to support Jamaica, while providing an extra £5m across the wider Caribbean region. Sailors were deployed to Falmouth alongside a Crisis Response Troop, carrying life-saving aid and other vital supplies.

They supported the repairs of Falmouth Hospital and Falmouth All Age School, carried out damage assessments on health centres, and completed other tasks to support the citizens. Engineers rebuilt the skeleton structures of these buildings, covering them in a special tarpaulin to protect them from the elements while proper repairs are made. They restored the water supply and fixed other building components from boilers to air conditioning units.

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Sub-Lieutenant Robin Blyth, Royal Naval Reserve, previously said: “When we stepped ashore, we were heartbroken to see the damage that Melissa has caused. However, we were equally inspired by the resilience shown by everyone we met. It means a great deal that we were invited to help. For most of us, this is precisely the sort of operation we joined to do.”

Marine Engineer Leading Engineering Technician Naomi Pearmine, from the Isle of Wight, added: “We’ve been working with some of the local engineers, working on the hospital’s boilers to get them back up and running, ultimately getting doctors and nurses in the best position to help the local community. Anything we can do to make their lives easier is worth doing.”

Before returning to HMNB Portsmouth, HMS Trent also worked alongside 815 Naval Air Squadron to conduct day and night flying exercises.