Royal Navy via SWNS

After being blown thousands of miles off course, cold-stunned, and beached, six exhausted sea turtles hitched a ride back to their home in the Azores onboard a Royal Navy ship.

The 6 loggerhead sea turtles, whose home lies in the warmer seas far to the south of the British Isles, were likely blown off course by a storm before being stunned into lethargy by the cold North Atlantic waters.

They may even have died after washing up on the beaches of Cornwall and Devon, but were rescued by members of two local marine sanctuaries who nursed them back to health.

Once fit again, the carers at Newquay Blue Reef Aquarium and Anglesey Sea Zoo weren’t sure what to do with these tropical mariners. They couldn’t be released back into the North Atlantic, but neither of the aquariums had the resources to transport them intercontinentally.

Enter the HMS Medway en route to the Caribbean on counternarcotics patrol and disaster relief via the Azores.

Alongside her regular cargo of food supplies, spare parts for machinery, and disaster relief/aid kits Medway also loaded Jason, Gordon, Perran, Hayle, Holly and Tonni the 6 loggerhead turtles.

Royal Navy via SWNS

She departed Plymouth last week on a mission to replace her sister ship HMS Trent, and had a little stopover in the Portuguese islands for a turtle ‘repatriation.’

MORE TURTLE RESCUES: Watch 2,200 Cold-Stunned Turtles Being Released by Volunteers Back Into the Gulf

“As professional mariners, many of us are keen to do what we can to reduce the loss of biodiversity at sea,” said Rod Jones, the Royal Navy’s Senior Maritime Environmental Protection Adviser.

Royal Navy via SWNS

“Encountering marine wildlife is one of the great joys of seafaring and if we can assist, even in a small way, to make that more likely in the future we are pleased to be able to do that.”

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“Assisting turtles to return to warmer waters may not be the Royal Navy’s primary role but as a government body we are very pleased to be able to support the UK’s ambition for more healthy and diverse seas.”

SHARE These Turtles’ Helping Hand From His Majesty’s Navy… 

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