CARDIGAN BAY Medical Test – the Landing Ship RFA CARDIGAN BAY, acting as the Depot Ship “East of Suez”, usually alongside at Bahrain acting as the floating command and support ship for the four strong Minecountermeasure Force.  During the recent International Mine Countermeasures Exercise in the region the RFA CARDIGAN BAY has tested the ship’s Sick Bay with a gory two day mass casualty drill..   The 18 strong team in the Sick Bay were expected to deal with victims of explosions during a major international mine warfare exercise.       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, whilst a fourth was badly burned.

The pint of the Exercise was to show that 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– has been tried out on the Landing Ships RFA CARDIGAN BAY, RFA LYME BAY or RFA MOUNTS BAY.