HMAS Anzac was involved in a dramatic rescue when she saved the 15-man crew of a sinking cargo vessel while en-route to Singapore.

Photo: LSPH Brad Fullerton

By Graham Davis

Sighting of flames and waved bed sheets on the wheelehouse roof of an inter-island trader led HMAS Anzac to pluck 15 men from the sea in a dramatic nick of time rescue near Singapore last week.

"The vessel sank in less than a minute.

The 15 jumped overboard as she went down," LEUT David Landon, the navigating officer of Anzac said.

Seconds earlier a sailor from the warship had scrambled onboard the trader to help the crew only to be told "abort, abort, abort" by his senior officer when the 200-tonne trader rolled to port and did not recover

The sailor literally walked along the hull of the vessel before scrambling back into his RHIB and safety.

The drama took place about 6pm on August 27, about 200 nautical miles south east of Singapore in the Selat Karimata.

HMAS Anzac, with a ship's company of 1984 led by CAPT Richard Menhinick, was heading from Australia to Singapore to take part in the multinational Exercise Bersama Lima.

The trader, the Suci Harapan, a large Type 3 wooden vessel of over 200-tonnes and crewed by 15 Indonesians, was taking general cargo from Kepuluan Riau to Surabaya, when she experinced trouble.

It is not known she began to take water in sea state 3 conditions and then her pump failed.

LEUT Landon told Navy News, "WO Michael Wilson was on the bridge with officer of the watch SBLT Darren McDevitt.

"WO Wilson, using binoculars, saw flames coming from the top of the trader. We think they set the fire to some cooking oil in a hubcap or cooking pot. There were also about eight or nine men on the roof of the wheelhouse."

Some of the rescued Indonesians are taken onboard one of Anzac’s RHIBs.

Anzac makes a good save

SBLT McDevitt alerted CAPT Menhinick, who immediately turned the 3,400-tonne warship towards the distressed men.

“We made best time, got there in about 10 minutes,” LEUT Landon said.

“We closed to within 500 metres. We saw the trader was in trouble, taking water.”

Anzac launched both her RHIBs, named Gallipoli and Rabaul. The rescue craft were under the command of SBLT Ryan Post. He took PO Robert Brown, a senior sailor with Indonesian language skills with him.

Among the rescuers was ABBM Kane Phyland.

Gallipoli closed on the trader with AB Phyland scrambling onboard to help the occupants and tell them they would be rescued.

“While he was onboard, the vessel took a lurch to port and did not return,” LEUT Landon continued.

“There was a command ‘abort, abort, abort’ and AB Phyland scrambled along the side of the hull and got back into his RHIB. “Less than a minute later the trader sank.

“As she went down the crew jumped into the water.

All wore lifejackets.” Anzac’s RHIBs moved in to rescue the 15.

“They were all in our RHIBs in just 90 seconds,” LEUT Landon said.

The RHIBs returned to their ship where willing hands helped the 15 survivors onboard.

They were checked by the ship’s medics, loaned pairs of overalls while their own clothes were dried, and given food.

Anzac returned to her plotted course reaching Singapore at 10am the next day.

The 15 Indonesians were taken to hospital where 13 were found to be in good health.

The other two had medical problems not associated with their time in the sea.

Indonesian authorities in Singapore then took charge of them.

The rescue attracted positive publicity in the Strait Times and in Australian media.

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