It was the year of 1986. I was the mate
officer in INS Vikrant, the air craft carrier. Since 15th August was
approaching fast, all were engaged in preparations for a grand celebration.
Musical rehearsals synchronized with rhythm of waves were a treat to the soul.
The rehearsals proved exciting enough to give goose bumps to every spectator. Our
ship was heading towards base when suddenly we received a message that a
merchant ship has sunk near Vishakhapatnam due to a fierce storm. Within
minutes all the aircraft squadrons were alerted and a search operation started.
Aircrafts and copters circled and hovered around the area, but spotting any
human body between the roaring blues, opaque lather and challenging storm was
far too difficult. Rescue operations ran round the clock, but there was no clue
of any sign of life. After exhausting two days when almost all our attempts
went waste and the search operations were about to call off, we received a
message at night from one of our search parties that they spotted a body
floating in water. A rescue team with few helicopters rushed to the spot
quickly. Huge spot lights were focused on the sea to spot the floating body. It
was found that the person was alive; he was waving his hand. Then a helicopter
lowered and dropped a rope to the person, rising up and down with giant waves.
After several futile attempts, he succeeded to catch the rope but was not
willing to come up. He was still signaling something which we failed to
understand. We didn’t want to lose much time as a big wave can strike at
anytime which may drown him away. So we lifted him by pulling the rope. We noticed that he was holding something with
his right hand which slipped out the moment he was lifted. When he was almost
half way to the helicopter, a bag full of currencies that he hid inside his
boiler suit slipped, flew down and moved with the current.
Atlast he was hauled up and was transferred
to our ship where he was admitted in the sick bay. “Christiana”, he blabbered
and fainted. After providing glucose and carrying out some primary treatments,
he came back to his sense. We were happy to see him conscious but he burst out
to tears soon. He was trying to convey us something. In the mean time we
received another message that our team had found a bloated dead body of a
woman. The moment he heard this news, he started weeping again. He was acting like
a lunatic. He was trying to stand up. We held him tightly and convinced him.
After few minutes he calmed down but he was crying out the same single word “
Christiana” . we asked him about what happened and he narrated the story of
that fateful night, “Cristiana is my wife. We got married only a couple of
months ago after having a courtship for over six years. I didn’t want to miss her in my voyage and
she too compelled that she cannot stay without me. So I took her along for
sailing. It was our honeymoon trip. Our ship was coming from Singapore with
goods and we were heading towards Bombay, my home town. I was in the main
engine room when the storm struck. So, I was unaware. When I came up to the
deck, I came to know that the captain had already declared to abandon the ship
and almost all had escaped except my wife who was lying down holding a piece of
broken rod near the hull. I couldn’t find any life jacket . So to save
ourselves, I tied the ends of my suit and inflated it up. I carried my wife and
jumped into the sea. Using one wooden log, I swam through the storm and massive
waves. She was very confident and was responding to me constantly but after a
day she turned silent. I was exhausted and she was not good at swimming too. I
could see that but I was helpless to save her. I was only encouraging her that
we would be saved. She was fighting for her life but at last her body turned
pale and she stopped breathing.
-Cdr. K.Ravi (Rtd.)
Indian Navy
The stern tube was leaking badly. It was
unsafe for us to start the voyage before repairing it. So, workshop experts
were called to attend the problem. The ship was still in floating condition.
They made a wooden staging near the propeller to carry out the repair work.
Being the chief engineer of the ship I had to inspect the work. I had to approve
before starting the main engine to check the propeller rotation. When I was
climbing up the platform to reach the stern tube, where the repair work was
being carried out, the wooden planks started cracking. I gathered all my
courage and climbed up. But within minutes as I reached on the top, the whole
wooden staging collapsed. The steady platform started inclining completely. I
was sliding down. I found nothing even to grab on to and hold to save myself. I
started screaming aloud when I realized that the violent waves are waiting
beneath to take me away. The thought of getting churned by the twisting waves
sent sparks of terror through my spine. All the workers were stunned and stood
agape. None had any idea of what should be done to save me. All were sliding
down with the wooden planks into the sea. The waves appeared like a beast
opening its mouth and waiting for it’s prey to fall into it. The salivary
glands of the beast were pumping out salty waters and its stomach was
pulsating, getting ready to digest me.
Everything was getting dark infront of me, my eyes closed to half mast.
I saw my wife and my kids standing with wet eyes far away in the horizon. My
dreams were tumbling down. I was about to fall into the sea, when suddenly a
small motor boat rushed in. The boatman was an expert. He positioned the boat
exactly at the place where I was going to fall and rescued me.
- Mr. Mathew Jacob
Chief Engineer
Merchant Navy
In my thirty eight years of sea service I
had never faced such a calamity. Yes, it was such a catastrophic incident that
I have never faced in my life at sea. I was carrying out the routine watch
keeping, examining and surveying all the marine auxiliaries and the main
engine. After checking the two-stroke main engine and noting down the important
readings, when I turned and just took a step or two forward, something exploded
making a huge noise. The root blower of the two-stroke engine exploded and the trunking
burst into pieces. The explosion was so strong and violent that it threw me few
meters away. But I was saved by just two steps and few seconds. A few micro
seconds of delay possibly could have killed me.
- Mr. Kamlavanan
2nd Engineer
Merchant Navy
Sailing expedition was being conducted by
Maersk shipping company from Bombay to Goa for Naval NCC cadets. About twenty
six boats with cadets hailing from almost all the corners of India participated
in that competition. I was in INS MATANG, a safety ship. We were escorting the
boats to their destination. It was a very adventurous expedition as all the
boats were being sailed by wind and none had motors installed to drive them.
INS MATANG is actually a tug ship and we were enthralled with the
responsibility of the safety of all the cadets who participated in the
expedition. All the boats were sailing smoothly when one of the boats capsized
at about 2 o’clock in the morning. The crew slipped into the sea when their
boat turned upside down. All the young cadets were drowning in water when we
reached at the place of mishap. Our expert swimmers jumped into the water as
soon as possible and all the crew of INS MATANG were alerted to carry out the
rescue operation. Within few minutes, we pulled all the cadets out of the water
and shifted them to our ship. All were saved and there was no casualty.
- Cdr. Gopinath ( Rtd.)
Indian Navy
Life at sea is always unpredictable, full
of risks but the upsurge of the violent waves never succeeded in frightening a
mariner from carrying out his responsibility. A mariner tames the fierce waves
and makes his way through them. As a part of Indian Navy he fights for our
country and when he is a part of Merchant Navy he carries out the trade, leading
to the economic development our country. A mariner has to remain away from his
beloved ones for months, but he has no complaints. He never complains when his
girlfriend ditches him and runs away with someone else. He always values
relations, never cheats anyone, remains loyal. Only an understanding woman
deserves to hold the pride to be a mariner’s girl. We party hard, dance on the
rough seas, stay away from home for months but amidst all this we never forget
the person we love, we never betray the person who has faith on us, we never
leave the hand which we held once.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE WAVES WHICH CARRY OUR SHIP RACE TO
THE SHORE TO KISS THE FEET OF THOSE WHO WAIT FOR US WITH HOPE ON LAND. SEA IS
LIKE OUR MOTHER. SHE WASHES AWAY OUR TEARS WHEN WE WEEP…CARESSES US WITH HER
WAVES.ALL MARINERS ARE DAMN PROUD OF THEMSELVES OF WHAT THEY ARE. WE LOVE EACH
WAVE LIKE OUR HEARTBEAT. WE ALWAYS WALK DOWN WITH
DIGNITY.
I sailed, sailed and sailed
I sailed
through the storms,
I sailed
when my ship rolled and pitched,
I sailed
when my sister got married,
I sailed
when my brother got a new job…
I missed
onam, id, diwali,
I missed
Ramzan and holi,
I missed
Christmas, pongal and lohri,
But I
sailed, sailed and sailed……….
I was not
there when my old sick mother needed me
I was not
able to extend my hands,
When my
father’s walking stick broke…
Though I
gave them huge amount of money,
But I
didn’t give them the son they needed…
I was not
there with my pregnant wife,
When she was
yelling
and desperately wanted me to hold her hand…
Knows me by
the account number
from which he can draw his fortune…..
But I sailed,
sailed and sailed………
