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17 P&M Regt RLC – Pewit Island By Capt D Taylor RLC maritime and helicopter support assets work with the RAF to build a new sea-bird nesting habitat in the Solent. 17 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC was asked to provide a MEXEFLOTE to support part of a Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust initiative to encourage wildlife back to Pewit Island. The easy to recognise MEXEFLOTE rafts all sit in Zulu Troop, 52 Squadron, so when the equipment is required, so are Zulu Troop’s soldiers. Pewit Island is a secluded island just outside Portsmouth Harbour. It no longer has any birdlife as there is no longer anywhere for birds to create their natural habitat. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is running several initiatives under “Project Wilder”; an initiative to promote biodiversity in the region. The idea behind this initiative is that increasing the aggregate on the island will give the birds areas to nest safely and restore seabird populations. One of the problems with accessing Pewit Island is that the approach is too shallow for the MEXEFLOTE to get close enough to offload directly. Joint Helicopter Command came up with a plan to use CH47 Chinook support, utilising routine training sorties, to shuttle the aggregate the final 500 yards. This capability was provided by 28 Sqn RAF and the RAF Benson-based Joint Helicopter Support Squadron (JHSS). The MEXEFLOTE carried 55 tonnes of bagged aggregate as close to the island as possible before onwards movement to the island by Chinook, via under-slung load controlled by the RLC rigger/marshallers from the JHSS. This task is a perfect example of how integration of different capabilities can provide a greater effect as the task would have been more difficult had either the CH47 or MEXEFLOTE had to operate alone. It’s also great to see Army lead projects delivering sustainability initiatives which will promote bio-diversity and restore 8
some of the environmental impact that infrastructural development has had on it. Cpl Brighouse, the Coxswain of the MEXEFLOTE raft used to transport the aggregate to Pewit Island said: “It’s great to get to showcase what the MEXEFLOTE can do so close to home. I’ve operated with helicopters before, but I haven’t cross-loaded this weight of cargo direct to a helicopter. The MEXEFLOTE is a really versatile raft as it’s modular so you can configure it in different ways like building blocks and we’re constantly finding new ways of putting it to use.” The task was initially meant to occur on Mon 19 May, but adverse weather forced it to be delayed by 24 hours. Fortunately, Cpl Brighouse and the soldiers deployed were able to make good use of crew shelters on the MEXEFLOTE vessel for an overnight stay.
Both the CH47 and MEXEFLOTE are “Land” capabilities, which operate in the air and on the sea respectively, so it was great to see them operating together, showcasing some of the breadth of what integrated capabilities can deliver. The MEXEFLOTE is also one of several unique to Defence capabilities that The RLC provides. It is the only MOD vessel that can transport heavy vehicles, large equipment and heavy stores from “ship to shore” and enable the discharge of a ship without a port. This niche capability for Defence sits in one regiment, one sub-unit and one troop, within the Corps. The Pewit Island exercise attracted considerable media attention, so It was great to see The RLC’s capabilities, and the soldiers that work hard to maintain and operate them, get such positive exposure in the press.
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