Originally Posted by gr4 techie
My comments were not said in a sneeringly contrived put-down way and I'm not bitter and twisted, why would I be? I just take the Glojo's post with a pinch of salt. Since I have never having been in the Navy, maybe I am ignorant of it's capabilities. However I never brag and seek credit.
I'm sorry you disbelieved my factual post regarding what those sailors WILL DO..
It was definitely NOT bragging, it was simply documenting just a few of the tasks these sailors are expected and yes, they are expected to perform. I totally, 100% accept there are only approximately 200 personnel on that ship but having been on a ship of a similar size and having performed similar tasks, I was simply giving an account of the tasks we had to perform.
Yes there are only a limited number of sailors but I can assure you they will be working around the clock, non stop, performing miracles. Yes that term might be a slight exaggeration but when others look back at what they have achieved in such a short time they will indeed be humbled.
Unfortunately the Navy does most definitely sell itself short regarding what it does and rather than me repeat myself I am going to post cuttings describing just a few of their deeds along hopefully with some pictures to back up my previous post.
This is not me waggling my willy, this is me responding to a post that did not do the author any favours.
Feel free to take your salt and do with it what you will, but I personally congratulate those hard working souls as fund raising is obviously helpful but what they are doing is possibly going that extra mile??
Eyes down...
After spotting the island’s distress call, where the word ‘HELP’ was spelt out on a playground, HMS Daring brought a medical team from save the Children to set up clinics around the main villages.
We are very glad to see the medical teams and the ship because we were running out of bandages and bandage tape and a few other medical supplies and I wasn’t sure if I could get any more very quickly.
A team of sailors also set to work to repair the local school’s roof which had been completely stripped of its corrugated iron sheets, and cleared the inside of debris and stagnant water.
The children have not been able to go to school for more than a week, but classes should begin again tomorrow.
Members of HMS Daring's crew with life-saving humanitarian aid at Cebu [Picture: Able Seaman (Warfare Specialist) Chris *****
As well as repairing the buildings, the sailors cleared fallen trees, and electrical teams assessed the extent of damage to one of the 2 generators for the village’s power supply.
One generator is fully serviceable,” explained Deputy Marine Engineering Officer Lieutenant Wendy ****.
The other has some minor defects as the wind moved it away from its stand, but they have enough fuel to run them both so they are not short of that supply.
The issue is that the power lines are down and we have spoken to the department of International Development representatives on board who will report the issue to the authorities to get it fixed for them.
The ship’s crew handed out 137 shelter packs which each contain 4 shelters. Just one can cover a house, sheltering large families of between 5 and 10 people at a time.
The local water well was also checked, and although there was some initial concern about possible contamination, there have been very few incidents of sickness.
All villagers use tablets to purify their drinking water which are passed to them by the island nurse.
Other areas of the island also suffered extensive damage, including the villages of Bitoon, Pasiil and Langob and their suburbs, where shelter was deemed the highest priority by the local people.
Originally Posted by MoD
A Portsmouth-based air defence warship, HMS Daring is two thirds of the way through a nine-month deployment and was taking part in an exercise with Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia as part of the Five Powers Defence Arrangement when she was re-tasked to the Philippines to deliver aid after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on 7 November 2013.
The aid collected by the Department for International Development (DfID) for HMS Daring to distribute consists of: 500 food baskets which can feed a family of four for a week; 500 family shelter kits; 500 hygiene kits; 1,500 four-litre water carriers; and 400 five litre water carriers. The ship will also embark a team of 14 medics from the UK.
HMS Daring herself can also provide 700 ration packs, 550 litres of bottled water and can provide 100,000 litres of potable water within 24 hours, generators, firefighting equipment, thermal imaging cameras and an emergency relief pack containing essentials such as generators, floodlighting and rescue equipment.
On board she has electrical and mechanical engineers, a doctor and medical team, first aiders, dentist, priest, heavy equipment specialists, air crews and boat crews. All 200 personnel on board are also trained in humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
I have highlighted the numbers as it is more than impressive to see just how few sailors are doing all this work and still keeping the ship at an operational state (you cannot shut the thing down!)
Originally Posted by MoD
Surgeon Lieutenant (D) ******* **** Aged **. Dental Officer attached to Commando Logistic Regiment, Barnstaple. Lives in ****** *****.
Team of three - Surg Lt (D) *****, Dental Hygienist CPO Heather ******* and Dental Nurse Debbie *****.
"We joined HMS Daring on October 28 and the original plan was to be on board until November 17, so a short stint of a couple of weeks. We are here to provide the ships company with dental treatment, including hygiene work, and to ensure they are all up to date with their dental inspections.
"When we were told of the re-tasking of HMS Daring my first priority was to find out if we could be of assistance, and the answer came back as yes. We don't know any more than that at the moment but, of course, we are keen to help in any way we can.
"There are several ways we could be called upon once we arrive in the Philippines. Using our primary roles we may be tasked with providing emergency dental care for patients with uncontrollable bleeding, swelling and trauma and I have all the equipment I would need for that as we bought it all on board to treat the ship's company.
Occasionally, Dentists can help with forensic identification and Heather and Debbie are both trained first aiders. Obviously we don't know what to expect so we may be required to assist as extra manpower.
"This is the first time I have been involved in a humanitarian disaster and we are helping to prepare in any way we can. We have had to return the surgery on board back to being a sick bay as we have a lot of dental equipment which takes up valuable medical team space.
We have also put together an emergency dental valise filled with dental instruments and supplies that we could take ashore if we were tasked to do so. Otherwise we may remain onboard to continue to treat the ships company and would await to be called forward if required.
I am keen to be able to use any of our skills in any way that we can to provide humanitarian care to the people of the Philippines it is unusual to have a deployed dental team so we are also keen to show what we have to offer."
I sincerely and genuinely apologise to everyone apart from the individual that demanded I put my money where my mouth is... I could very easily supply double the ammount of both pictures and stories of these sailors carrying out the different tasks and YES..
The first thing we tend to do is get some sort of sanitition system organised for a village, it is not nice, it is not pleasant but without proper sanitation, coughs and sneezes!!
very quickly run riot throughout the population. The other awful work is sadly dealing with those that did not survive that storm.