A GROUP of students from Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, have spent their free time assisting the Royal Navy to train the crew of the German Navy Frigate FSG Hessen.

The military academy students from Duchy College took part in a training exercise that focused on how to deal with the aftermath of a natural disaster in a disaster exercise (DISTEX).

The students have been regularly taking part in these exercises, acting as the civilian population. They had to be found and helped in the aftermath of a hurricane, in which their property and possessions had been destroyed, such as the disasters experienced in the Caribbean recently.

The aim of the exercise is to prepare the ship and its crew for deployment on operations. This exercise was for the German Navy Frigate FSG Hessen, who were at the time about to deploy to the Caribbean.

The students were assigned different roles and injuries that provide issues for the ship being assessed. It provided challenges for the crew to deal with, as they would find in a natural disaster.

Level 3 military academy student, Aaron Stephenson, said helping with the training was ‘very useful because it really shows us how the Navy and foreign Navy work together and what roles they do’. He added: “It gave us a really good insight and it was good fun. I am thoroughly enjoying the course at Duchy College. I have passed Army selection and will be joining the REME in the New Year.”

Military academy course manager, Jon Stone, said the exercise was a ‘really good experimental training opportunity for the students to see how all the roles and crew interact and the wide range of situations they could find themselves in’.

Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) provides operational sea training for all surface ships, submarines and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries of the Royal Navy by a dedicated team of experts, led by Flag Officer Sea Training.

Together with land and air units and with increasing numbers of NATO and foreign participants conducting training under its guidance, FOST has established a worldwide reputation for excellence. Flag Officer Sea Training at HMS Drake in Plymouth provides training for the Royal Navy and foreign navies in operations that they may undertake.