The Oceanos rescue remembered - DefenceWeb
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Sea
The Oceanos rescue remembered<br>By Kim Helfrich6 August 20263 Mins Read
The Oceanos sinking. Picture: Courtesy SADF Association.
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Thirty-five years ago this week – on 3 August – two services of the then SA Defence Force (SADF) were the major lifesaving contributors when the cruise ship Oceanos sank off the then Transkei coast.
All 571 passengers and crew aboard the Greek cruise liner, bound for Durban after leaving East London (now KuGompo), were rescued in rough seas with swells up to nine metres from gale force winds, with the SA Air Force (SAAF) leading the way with able support from SAS Scorpion, at that time the Naval Base (NB) Durban, shore-based headquarters of the then SA Navy (SAN) strike craft flotilla. Also integral to the massive rescue operation, which lasted some seven hours, were the heroics displayed by SAN divers who braved horrific sea conditions swimming stranded passengers to the safety of helicopter winches countless times.
One was Able Seaman Paul Burger Whiley, rewarded for his valour with the Honoris Crux Gold. Other decorations awarded, Peter Dickens’ Observation Post reported in the wake of the rescue and honours, included six Honoris Crux (one gold, one silver and four bronze); 28 Air Force Crosses to ranks from Commandant (lieutenant colonel in today’s SAAF) to major, captain and flight sergeant, as well as 11 Mentioned in Dispatches – seven SAAF officers (two brigadiers, three colonels and a commandant) and five SAN personnel ranging in rank from captain to commander and a...