On Monday, September 21, 2026, a team from Civil Air Support (CAS) joined forces with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and the Port of London Authority (PLA) to monitor and protect a pod of approximately 25 long-finned pilot whales that entered the Thames Estuary. This rare occurrence raised concerns of stranding in the shallow and confined waters of Gravesend, Tilbury, and Rochester.
Thanks to their existing Memorandum of Understanding, CAS was able to quickly provide specialized rescue logistics and aerial observation capabilities to support BDMLR. When the risk of stranding increased on Friday, CAS immediately transported a specialized whale rescue kit from their base at Turweston Aerodrome to Rochester via a PA-32 Cherokee Six aircraft. The equipment, which is usually held at the Turweston base, was made available to BDMLR’s Marine Mammal Medics within a matter of hours.
The rescue kit includes two large inflatable pontoons and a heavy-duty tarpaulin. In the event of a stranding, trained BDMLR medics can use the equipment to maneuver the animal onto the tarpaulin, attach the pontoons, and gradually inflate them with compressed air. This helps alleviate pressure on the animal’s lungs and allows it to be carefully refloated and guided towards deeper waters.
This preemptive action proved crucial when, later that day, one of the whales separated from the pod and became stranded near Rochester. Thanks to the pre-positioning of the equipment, BDMLR was able to quickly deploy it and successfully rescue the animal. Meanwhile, the PLA and BDMLR coordinated efforts to guide the remaining pod back towards the North Sea. A flotilla of boats closely followed the whales for six hours until they reached the outer estuary and open sea.
CAS also launched aerial observation missions to monitor the pod’s movements and ensure they were heading towards the open sea. On Saturday afternoon, a CAS aircraft and crew flew over the estuary and surrounding coastline to track the whales’ progress. Another mission was conducted on Sunday morning, with an aircraft and crew from Biggin Hill providing aerial observation alongside a BDMLR whale specialist. The flight covered the Medway Estuary, the Southend area, London Gateway, and the waters towards the wind farms, as well as searching relevant coastline and shallow-water areas for any stranded animals. Fortunately, no additional members of the main pod were sighted during the flight.
This successful operation highlights the importance of close cooperation between specialized organizations and the ability to quickly mobilize different capabilities in response to changing circumstances. Graham Mountford, Transport Operations Manager for Civil Air Support, explained:
“This was a prime example of CAS’s ability to support a specialist organization like BDMLR in rapidly evolving situations. Thanks to our existing MoU and understanding of each other’s capabilities, we were able to respond quickly without having to establish new relationships or processes. We were able to transport specialized rescue equipment from Turweston to the operational area within hours and provide aircraft and crews for aerial observation as the situation developed.”
The operation also demonstrated the significance of having geographically distributed specialized equipment. BDMLR maintains rescue equipment in various locations around the UK, while CAS also has a whale and dolphin refloatation set at Turweston Aerodrome that can be mobilized to remote locations as needed.
Graham added:
“In a mass stranding situation, time is of the essence, and having multiple pieces of rescue equipment at the site increases the chances of saving the animals. CAS has previously supported BDMLR by bringing together equipment from different parts of the country, and this incident is another example of our capability to do so.”
BDMLR expressed their gratitude to all the organizations involved in the response and specifically recognized Civil Air Support for their role in transferring additional rescue equipment and conducting aerial searches for the remaining pod. The joint operation involved BDMLR, the Port of London Authority, Civil Air Support, Coastguard teams, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and other local responders. BDMLR’s marine mammal specialists were responsible for assessing the whales and determining the appropriate welfare response, while the PLA coordinated activity on the water.
Tragically, two whales from the pod died during the incident. One female was found deceased near East Tilbury on Saturday, and another female, who had separated from the pod, was later discovered deceased at Canvey Island. BDMLR is working with the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme to recover the animals for post-mortem examination. Despite the loss of these individual animals, the response highlighted the importance of preparation, specialized expertise, and effective coordination in protecting marine wildlife.
For Civil Air Support, it was also a practical demonstration of their ability to seamlessly integrate into a complex multi-agency operation, providing aircraft, trained crews, specialized logistics, and aerial observation wherever needed. As BDMLR continues to monitor the situation, Civil Air Support
