Thursday, July 2, 2009

Sailors and intelligence officers at the Joint Interagency Task Force South got a shot in the arm from America's allies across the pond Wednesday as the British Royal Navy sent its warship, the Iron Duke, for a four-month tour in the Caribbean.

"Everyone on board has been looking forward to coming to Key West for a long time and especially to help celebrate Independence Day," said Lt. Cmdr. Martin Hoather.

The HMS Iron Duke will remained docked at the Truman Waterfront until July 5, then begin counter-narcotics missions with JIATF, Hoather said. The Iron Duke seized almost a ton of cocaine last year while on a similar mission. The future king of England, Prince William, was stationed aboard the ship during that mission as part of his ongoing military training.

The British will join a U.S. Coast Guard vessel during the operations, Hoather said, explaining that the Iron Duke will stop suspected drug-trafficking vessels and a Coast Guard team will board the vessels.

The Iron Duke is primarily an anti-submarine warship, but in the past 10 years has served a litany of missions in the Caribbean in counter-narcotics as well as hurricane relief.

The crew of the Iron Duke also upholds a tradition -- a rugby match against the Southernmost Rugby Club of Key West, comprising mostly military personnel. The Commander's Cup, as it is called, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bernstein Park on Stock Island.

The Americans lead the friendly rivalry two wins to the Brits' single win, and U.S. coach Joel Dos Santos said his team might be even more amped for the game given the Fourth of July holiday.

"This is a very friendly match," Dos Santos said with a laugh. "We extend a hand when someone gets knocked over and go drinking when the whistle blows."

The Iron Duke's commanding officer, Commander Andrew Stacey, said his crew is ready for a few days of R&R in Key West.

"My ship's company have been looking forward to the visit for a long time," Stacey said. "Our arrival in Key West marks the start of our work with our U.S. allies."

alinhardt@keysnews.com