A Royal Navy flotilla that might have provided relief in the first hours after the Haitian earthquake was withdrawn weeks before the disaster because of budget constraints, the Ministry of Defence said last night.
Naval sources told The Times that the unpublicised cut marked the first time that the Royal Navy has had a significant gap in cover in the Caribbean since the 17th century.
The force, which usually includes a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel and a frigate, is deployed in Caribbean waters to provide support to British overseas territories, particularly during the May-December hurricane season, and to support Britain’s counter-narcotics role in the region.
During the summer, Prince William was deployed on board the frigate Iron Duke in the Caribbean.
However, the fleet replenishment ship Fort George was ordered back to Britain in October and the Iron Duke arrived back last month.
Neither was replaced, though the Navy has previously maintained a rolling deployment of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels in the region to provide disaster relief. When Fort George arrived in the Caribbean in June it was as a replacement to HMS Largs Bay, which had provided cover in the region since the end of the previous hurricane season in November 2008.
Naval sources said that the vessels could have provided rapid assistance in the chaotic first 48 hours after the earthquake. Fort George has a large flight deck and can carry three helicopters while Iron Duke has a Lynx helicopter.
Fort George is designated as one of the Navy’s disaster relief vessels. “The ship holds stores and equipment to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief ashore; with the capacity to evacuate victims if required,” according to the Royal Navy website.
During its deployment, the crew of Fort George undertook disaster relief exercises in Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Montserrat.
In a statement last night the Ministry of Defence said: “The Royal Navy maintains a maritime presence in the Caribbean to reassure overseas territories. This task is mandatory during the hurricane season — when our assets are most likely to be required — which runs from June 1 to November 30.
“This year, as part of a package of savings measures identified to enable the MoD to remain within ’09-10 budgets, cover outside the hurricane period has been temporarily withdrawn.”