Lifesaving Dash by Boat
May 3, 1999
The RAN patrol boat HMAS WARRNAMBOOL (LCDR Mark Shelvey) has dashed for 12 hours through 10 metre high waves to save the lives of two yachtsmen forced into a life raft after their yacht sank 140 nautical miles east of Sydney late last month.
"We were only 50 metres from the raft when the men first spotted us - so high were the waves," XO LEUT Jan Noonan said.
New Zealanders Gordon Mann and Brian Murray had spent 24 hours in their raft after their yacht Green Hornet was smashed by a large wave as they competed in a Melbourne to Osaka race.
"We were heading home to Sydney after a southern patrol when at around 7.30pm on Friday (April 23) we heard a mayday on Channel 16," LEUT Noonan said.
"We alerted Maritime Headquarters and received permission to make best speed to the rescue. We accelerated to 20 knots but had to reduce because of the seas. Waves were eight to 10 metres high.
"Search aircraft were directed to the scene also. Around 7.30am on Saturday, a Dash 8 search plane pin-pointed the raft for us. We were only 50 metres away when the two men bobbed their heads up and saw us. Using strops, we pulled them aboard. Mr Murray was very worried about his mate because he had a big cut on his head and an arm injury."
The men were taken to the wardroom where POCXN Jeffrey Duke and ABCK Russell Toohey, both medically trained, tended both men and splinted Mr Mann's arm.
By Graham Davis