HMS Richmond cut short her visit to Curacao to standby to assist islands that potentially lay in the path of Hurricane Ivan. Having tracked the progress of the hurricane it became clear that the island of Grenada lay directly in its path.

In company with RFA Wave Ruler, HMS Richmond sailed for a fast passage to get into position to provide support at the earliest possible moment as the winds and storm abated. The capital, St George's was hit very hard by Hurricane Ivan with many houses demolished, roads blocked and a loss of power to many key buildings.

Keith Mitchell, the Prime Minister of Grenada, visited HMS Richmond to liaise with disaster relief agencies and conduct interviews on the BBC World Service in a message to the nation. He declared a State of Emergency on the island which is now a National Disaster Area.

The Ship's Doctor led a team from the ship which treated a large number of casualties and cleared up damage at the hospital and provided additional much needed medical supplies. A team of Engineers has been to investigate damage at the islands radio station, restoring power and drying out the waterlogged components. They are to return tomorrow, hopeful of establishing a working transmitter that would allow the Prime Minister to address the nation.

The Ship remains in the area to provide a platform to co-ordinate support for the islanders as Hurricane Ivan heads west towards Jamaica.