Humanitarian· Bangladesh Cyclone Relief (Op SEA ANGEL)
Op SEA ANGEL (Bangladesh)
Operation SEA ANGEL was a large-scale humanitarian relief mission mounted after a catastrophic cyclone struck Bangladesh in 1991, killing well over a hundred thousand people and leaving millions homeless and cut off along the devastated coast and offshore islands.
A Marine expeditionary force, returning from the Gulf War, was diverted to lead the relief effort, forming the core of a joint task force, the first such task force built around a Marine air-ground team, that delivered food, water, and medical aid to survivors whom the floods had isolated beyond the reach of overland relief. Marine helicopters and landing craft carried supplies to remote villages and islands, and the Marines worked alongside Bangladeshi authorities and international relief organizations. SEA ANGEL saved many lives and became a model for future humanitarian operations in coastal disaster zones, demonstrating the unique reach of sea-based forces in delivering aid where infrastructure had been destroyed.
Engagements in this conflict (1)
Record no. 734