HMS Intrepid was the command and control ship for major disaster relief operation in East Pakistan in November 1970. The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on 3 November 1970. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the deadliest natural disasters. Melting snow from the Himalayas met the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. HMS Intrepid with HMS Triumph left Singapore for the Bay of Bengal to assist with the relief efforts. Force controlled twenty helicopters, eight landing craft, 650 troops, and assisted international and civilian rescue teams distributing supplies. At least 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm. Sailors and Soldiers had to help bury the dead. A hard duty for which Navy Rum, a 200-year tradition which had recently ceased, had to be re-instated.