(Tape 1) (i) General views on board inflatable sea boat heading towards "HMS Liverpool" off the Monserrat coast at sunset. Shots along the waterline of "Liverpool". Moon above Montserrat (at night). (ii) Daytime shots from "Liverpool" of the south of Monserrat: the capital Plymouth has been covered by pyroclastic flow (a mass of ash and rock which has moved down from the volcano). Shots of devastation and of smoking ash. Scientists on board "Liverpool" monitor the situation. Further eruptions of smoke from volcano, and shots of houses covered with ash. (iii) Captain David Snelson of "HMS Liverpool" on bridge. "Liverpool" drops anchor at Little Bay, the site of the evacuation. Interview with Captain Snelson about the situation and the impending evacuation.

(Tape 2) (i) Part of a press conference on board the deck of "HMS Liverpool" moored off Montserrat, discussing the command and control for the voluntary evacuation of residents to Antigua. (ii) Scenes on board inflatable boat going ashore from "Liverpool". Royal Navy staff visit a shelter where local people and their children have been living; also scenes in the local church and village. Street basketball game. Tented camp: children are given sweets by RN personnel.

(Tape 3) (i) Evacuation from Little Bay: bags are loaded onto ferry. Islanders gather (one wears a t-shirt saying "Pyroclastic Flow") and board ferry "Deluxe", which sets sail shortly afterwards. (ii) Scenes on the ground in Plymouth, now completely submerged in ash. Interiors of ruined church and ash-covered graveyard; Lynx helicopter flies past over ash flow. Crewman is winched down from helicopter. Surrounding landscape, showing the extent of the devastation: a few petrified trees can be seen. (iii) Aerial shots from helicopter of the ruins of Plymouth, the white ash giving the appearance of a snowscape. Ruined church and other buildings below. Man waves from the roof of one such building. (iv) Galley on board "HMS Liverpool": cooks at work making and frying doughnuts in large quantities. (v) White Ensign is raised on shore. Views of Little Bay - "HMS Liverpool" visible. On the jetty, a container ship docks as local people watch. RN personnel arrive in rigid inflatable boats.

(Tape 4) (i) Views of "HMS Liverpool" from sea boat. (ii) Tented refugee camp at Saint John's in the north of Montserrat: children play football. Bags are loaded onto lorry. Camera crew (television news ?) walks past. (iii) Processing centre at Saint John's, set up as an area for the registration of those Montserratians who wish to evacuate. Interview with officer about the construction of the refugee site. Children and families. Shots of another camera crew interviewing crewman from "Liverpool".

(Tape 5) (i) Interior of helicopter taking off from "HMS Liverpool" - extended aerial shots of the ship with Montserrat in the background. Helicopter lands back on deck. (ii) Interview with Lieutenant-Colonel Whitehead, Flight Commander, about the assistance role of the Lynx helicopters. Interview with Lieutenant-Commander Paul Catt, supply officer in charge of logistics, on the role of supplying food to the shelters - "doughnuts is a speciality". Interview with Chef Clare Gilmour about the cooking of bread, doughnuts etc for the evacuees ashore in Saint John's and Little Bay.

Unedited footage of the visit of the West Indies Guard Ship "HMS Liverpool" to Monserrat to assist after the major eruption of the Soufrire Hills volcano, August 1997.

Notes

Summary: the dormant Soufrire Hills volcano first became active in July 1995 and subsequently had major eruptions in June and August 1997, leading to an evacuation of the capital Plymouth and surrounding areas. "HMS Liverpool", as West Indies Guard Ship at the time, assisted in the evacuation. Plymouth was later completely covered in ash and debris and permanently abandoned. See also ADM 6562 for coverage of Royal Navy assistance during eruption in 1995.

Remarks: original numberings of the tapes go up to tape 9, suggesting that at least two tapes are not held.