Devonport sailors become first international forecasters at huge Pacific war games
Two Royal Navy meteorologists advised commanders during RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii
Two Royal Navy meteorologists have forecasted and advised on weather conditions during one of the world's largest multinational naval war games.
Sub Lieutenant Eleanor Walkerdine and Leading Hand Sarah Huckfield were the only Royal Navy personnel among more than 30,000 people from more than 30 navies taking part in RIMPAC 2026.
The exercise, run every two years from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, was the 30th RIMPAC, known formally as Exercise Rim of the Pacific.
It involved three dozen warships, including five submarines, 15 national land forces and more than 200 aircraft.
Walkerdine and Huckfield are from the Devonport-based Meteorology and Oceanography Information Warfare Group.
Unlike the UK, the climate of the Hawaiian Islands and surrounding area is tropical rather than temperate.
The pair were supported by Master Chief Cappellino, a US Navy Reservist meteorologist with almost two decades of experience forecasting in the islands, who provided guidance ahead of the exercise beginning.
This helped the pair understand the Hawaiian climate and allowed the multinational team to train together before the exercise got under way.
Walkerdine and Huckfield began on the night shift, working in the forecasting cell at RIMPAC headquarters from midnight into the early hours.
Their role was to provide senior officers at Pearl Harbor, and units at sea, with the overall weather picture and the conditions participants could expect.
Eleanor Walkerdine said:
"Not only did this involve forecasting weather and sea conditions but also monitoring the tropical hurricane outlook in what is shaping up to be an extremely active season."
This was the first time international meteorologists had been invited to take part in RIMPAC.
Walkerdine and Huckfield worked alongside personnel from the United States, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines.
Halfway through the exercise, the pair moved from big picture forecasting to the command watch floor, the operational hub of RIMPAC.
There they worked with colleagues from Japan, Canada, Germany and Chile, among others.
They were required to brief a string of senior officers, up to US Pacific Fleet Deputy Commander, Vice Admiral Jeffrey Jablon.
Some activities within the exercise took place, or were cancelled, based on the forecasts and guidance the British meteorologists gave, as they applied "go/no-go" limitations to activities.
During downtime, Walkerdine and Huckfield visited the destroyers HMAS Sydney and ROKS Jeongjo The Great, and the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.
The carrier weighs 100,000 tonnes and can carry up to 90 aircraft, including F-18 and F-35C jets, Hawkeye AWACs and Seahawk helicopters.
The pair were given a tour of its hangar, bridge, flight deck, wardroom and meteorological office, where they learned about differences in forecasting methods between the two navies.
They also took part in activities including hiking up volcanic craters, walking through tropical rainforests, kayaking with sea turtles and snorkelling with tropical fish.
Being in Hawaii during the Pacific hurricane season gave them the opportunity to visit the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.
There they met US Navy and Air Force personnel who maintain a 24-hour watch floor, monitoring and forecasting tropical disturbances across at least 70% of the globe.
Walkerdine and Huckfield called on the expertise of warning centre personnel to track multiple tropical storms.
These included Hurricane Fausto, which followed a westward track towards the Hawaiian Islands during the final week of the exercise.
The British meteorologists provided command with guidance about the storm's expected track and intensity.
This guidance was aimed at ensuring the safety of participating units and highlighting the potential impact on operations.