BLOG 28 - A First Person Account of "Jalamoti's" Rescue of "Sonavati" Survivors During a Cyclone

Capt PM Abraham bought his own sextant in 1959 in Hamburg and carried it with him on every ship that he sailed on. Cost - around Rs. 700. Copy of Certificate also attached

Firstly, to correct an error made in my Blog 26, which my friend and batch mate Auldius Pais pointed out - the compulsory drydocking period of ships in those days was 2.5 years - extendable to 3 years with dispensation - and not 5 years, as I had erroneously stated.

At the present time, a ship's drydocking can be extended to 5 years, provided certain criterion are met before the half way stage, which includes under water inspections by certified divers and many Class and Flag State requirements.

Secondly, this narrative is not a continuation of my "Chennai Perumai" days.

It is a First Person account of some extraordinary events in December 1973, experienced by the Master of the "Jalamoti", a Scindia vessel.

The Master, Capt PM Abraham, is a close friend and, by far, the best Captain I have ever sailed with, during my career spanning 38 years at sea.

His knowledge and his seamanship were unparalleled.

A quiet, unassuming personality, he is now retired and lives in Goa.

With his permission, I am quoting him verbatim, as I feel that certain experiences of completely out-of-the ordinary events are to be shared, rather than forgotten in the cob webbed desk drawers of of a now defunct company.

You can say that this my way of paying tribute to a totally unassuming, remarkable person.

"It is the quiet ones who move the world.

It is the loud ones who rule the world".

He is one of the movers.

The reader is encouraged to read slowly through the entirety of this exceptional narrative. The first part, detailing the events that led to a "tender" ship is closely related to decisions and actions detailed in the second part - that of the rescue of the survivors of a ship that was abandoned.

Scindia's "Jalamoti"

PART 1:

The Prelude to the Sonavati rescue. The narrative up to the 8th of

December 1973

Our port of loading for this voyage was Calcutta and we were to pick up a full load of jute products which included a whole lot of carpet backing. This was bound for the U.S. East coast.

Carpet Backing is a dicey kind of a cargo in terms of the vessel's stability. You

needed to check your stability calculations against any proposed load before you

accepted that proposal. Our stability calculations showed that we could pick the load proposed and still have a sufficient GM for our voyage. We were low on bunkers, but that was to be replenished in Colombo.

As we were nearing completion of our loading, I noticed her flipping over ever so

slightly from port to starboard and then back again. Alarm bells started in my head that we were not going to get that GM or "metacentric height" that was projected by our calculations.  Something was wrong. Stability data of the ship, Cargo data or some tanks not being just so.

Some tank work seemed to be going on at that time. I checked with Chief Officer Vinod Kakar whether all was in control. He told me he was doing some tank filling and pumping out etc., and it would be OK once he finished.

We were to sail early next morning and some of my colleagues from some of the

other ships in port had come on board to bid me farewell and as such I left with them for some lunch ashore.

We were at the buoys. When I returned about two hours later I got a shock to see my command listing by about 6 degrees to Port. Things did not look good at all. Despite this list I could see that loading was in full progress into No.1 shelter deck a most unsuitable location for the problem I felt we faced.

I had to wait for the boat to ferry me back and as soon as I did I asked Ch.Off Vinod

Kakar to stop all cargo work with immediate effect. Not even a sling more was the

order. I also asked him to see me in my cabin with all the soundings of every tank

on this ship. He informed me then that he had asked for a port side double bottom ballast tank to be pumped out to correct a slight port list which had developed soon after I had left. The minute he told me that I knew that my fears on our stability were real.

This list was a stability issue.  

I asked that he stop the pumping out and that he fill it back in again. Vinod was skeptical but he had confidence in me and raced off to execute that order. Filling in a port side double bottom tank to correct a port list.???

If the reason for the list is instability, then filling a tank with the lowest centre of

gravity is the remedy, even if that tank happens to be on the side that she is listing.

If however it was just a case of an imbalance of weights port side versus starboard

then that pumping out was in order.

The minute this Port tank was filled back this 6 degrees to Port came down to 2 degrees to Port. This also confirmed that it was instability. We certainly could not load anymore and may even have to take some cargo off.

The sailing scheduled for early next morning was cancelled. I hoped though that we could find some remedy to be able sail the following day at least. We still had a 2 degree list to Port that needed to be set right.

We only had space for some 19 tons more of ballast in a small double bottom tank at the centerline right aft. It was a suitable tank to fill. It was also the tank with the

lowest centre of gravity at that moment.  I asked that this to be filled. The carpenter reported that the tank was full and she came upright at the same time.

Our GM, therefore, not by calculations but by physical observation at this point, was as good as zero or marginally positive at best.

A fact which only I was privy to at this point.

All hell had broken out when the Office got to know that I had stopped cargo work and cancelled the sailing. Before you knew it we had three Superintendents, on board. They were Capt.Tamhane, Capt.V.P. Sharma and Capt B.R.Rao. When they boarded she was dead upright and they could not understand why I had stopped the loading and cancelled the sailing. It was natural that they would want to know why.

I thought a physical demonstration was the best way forward. I asked all three to come up on the Bridge. I also asked Chief Officer Vinod to go forward to No.1 hatch and take his walkie talkie along.

When we were on the bridge, I asked them all to please note the Inclinometer reading. They all did. When Vinod reached No.1 hatch I asked him to lift that sling which was still lying in the port side barge but with the weight off the hook.

The minute this two ton or so weight transferred to the derrick head block this

thirteen thousand or so deadweight ship listed  by 2 degrees to port. No further

explanations were needed. But we still had to find a way out to make the tide for the following morning with a GM safe enough to reach Colombo.

We had had some 140 tons or so of fuel in the settlers at tween deck level. This we

transferred back down to the double bottom fuel tanks. Taking this 140 tons off gave us some positive GM and putting this in a double bottom tank gave us some more.

Once we reached the sea we planned to fill our Port and Starboard cargo deep tanks in No.3 with ballast to replace the weight of fuel lost thru consumption.

This though would have to be done via the deck line with a deck hose and Ch.Off

Vinod checked and said that it was feasible. This was the best option and it was

acceptable to all. The balance cargo was shut out and we sailed on the tide the

following morning with a low but sufficient GM in terms of our voyage.

7th December 1973.

There was a cyclone in the Bay located at Lat 9.5 N, Long 86 E. Central pressure

996 mb, It was projected to intensify. Therefore after dropping the pilot off Eastern

Light vessel at  around 1400 on the 7th of December 1973 in Lat 21 32 N, Long 88

10 E, I set her on a Course of 180 T so as to keep clear of this cyclone.

The direct Course to round Ceylon was 204 T.  

The Scindia mantra in those days were to train us on the coast and only after that

were we given a foreign going ship. It was a good practice. Most of us of that era

therefore were already familiar with the poor accuracies of the forecasts. This is not to cast aspersions on the Met Dept. That was how it was in those days. The forecasting equipment / methodology was not like it is today and few weather reports from the vicinity did not help any.

That they could come up with this advance warning was in fact a credit to them.  

The cyclone warning was out, and now it was up to us to keep our vessel safe.

For me, our own single station reading of the wind coupled with our barometric

pressure gave you a general direction of the storm. If you were lucky enough and had similar data from others in the area you could probably get a more accurate position of the centre.

There was a  general pattern to the movement of cyclones in this area.

There was no guarantee though that this one would follow that pattern.  

It was best to keep a safe distance and a close watch.  My intention was to keep our nearest approach to storm at not less than 300 miles.  We were now on full speed at 120 RPM, capable of 19.5 kt and in a hurry to keep out of her way.

Yours faithfully,

Capt.P.M.Abraham,

Master of the Jalamoti at the time of this rescue.

PART 2:

Continuation of the narrative of the Sonavati Rescue from the 8th of December 1973 and the manner in which this rescue panned out.

 8th December 1973.

A swell had developed and we began to ship the occasional green sea.  At 0010, I reduced RPM to 100. Watched for a while and reduced that further to 90 RPM.  Shipping green seas is never a good idea at any time. This was my first ship of this “Class" and there were a lot yet to be learned.  

From the weather I was experiencing I felt the storm was further to the north and also to the east of the forecast position.  Therefore after the morning sight at 0840 in D/R position 17 12 N, 87 43 E, I altered from 180 T to 135 T. This should take us further from the storm and a bit more to the East.

At 0948 in we received an urgency message. It said that the “Sonavati" in position Lat 15 35 N, Long 85 12 E was in trouble and might need assistance. She was a Scindia ship and she was also my command very recently.  From Jan to March,1970, to be precise, on a one off F.G. voyage from Bombay to Reunion and back. She was around 3000 dwt and of a size that made it an easy prey for Bay of

Bengal cyclones. I feared the worst.  All my moves to keep clear were now in jeopardy.

Ch.Off Vinod Kakar and Ch.Eng Lalla were immediately appraised of this development and that we could be in for a rough time. Everything on deck and the engine room had to be checked and secured accordingly. Every opening into the holds and into the accommodation had to be secured watertight.

 From 0630 till 1100 that morning the wind had stayed constant with force increasing all the while.  It was a clear indication she was heading straight for, or close to us for this period.

The way things stood I could heave to and wait for developments or get the wind and sea on my port quarter and try to make a dash towards the Sonavati right away on a round about path north of the storm.  That way we would be closer if help was required.

Weather was as yet moderate except for the swell, which was increasing.

The wind and sea was on the Starboard bow and our ship was behaving very beautifully just now.

We had a low but sufficient GM. In rough seas this helped her ride the seas better as was now evident.

With a low GM the righting lever is smaller, and the correcting force that get her upright when her buoyancy is disturbed by the waves is also smaller in relative terms. Before the correction can take effect the wave would move on and self-correct so to say is how I saw it. She was certainly riding the seas better, her structure too was stressed much less as the rolling was not violent.

We had a high freeboard and as long as she did not roll us over to our beam ends it looked like we would be able to weather a closer approach to the storm should that happen.  

I got the all clear from Ch.Off and Ch. Eng that all that I had asked was done.   The way she was behaving gave me the nod to attempt this dash right away and at 1125 in position 16 58 N, 87 58 E, I altered course to 270 T to make this dash and get closer to the Sonavati.  The wind and sea were now on the Port quarter, we were on full speed, and she was still behaving beautifully.

Soon after we altered, R/Off Rangnekar managed to get in radio contact with the Sonavati and I was able to speak to Capt.Tawa. I suggested that he head for a port of refuge if he could.  He replied he was in a bad way and he could not. He told me to proceed on my way and that he would keep me informed.

I let him know that I had just altered my course towards him. I asked for the weather at his end. R/Off Billimoria gave us this info. Their pressure was 999.0 mb and wind NW.

This and our weather gave the position of the storm at this point to be near Lat 15 00 N, Long 86 05 E.  It was still too close for comfort. To increase this distance I altered now from 270 T to 290 T.   That she continued to behave beautifully in the rougher seas now being experienced was comforting. We were making about 12kts at this point headed towards the Sonavati.

At 1400 what we feared happened, the Sonavati sent an S.O.S. and said that they were abandoning ship.  Their transmitter was shorted so that we all could take a D.F. bearing of her. 

Besides us, four other ships in the vicinity responded to this S.O.S.

1.) The M/V Apiliotis.

2.) The Tug Orinoco.

3.) The Jalajawahar.

4.) The Devaraya Jayanti.

The S.O.S. and that their D.F. was shorted was rebroadcast by us to Madras and others around. Second Officer A.S.Desouza took a D.F.bearing of their signal. It was 235 T.  

At 1430 in position 14 43 N, 85 50 E, I altered course to 225 G to make good 235 T. The wind and sea was nearly on the beam now. You certainly could not hold such a course with a stiff ship. Our low GM gave us a tender ship that allowed us to hold such a course. The extreme fear, if you prefer to call it that, as opposed to “being shit scared”, was still there. This was unfamiliar territory, there were too many unknowns and we would have to watch and see as we went along. Much can be theorized upon.  

You don’t know for sure till you actually experience it. Watching her ride these waves on the beam so nicely was an experience of a lifetime. While it was exhilarating there were the odd occasions when she rolled a bit more severely and you thought, this is “IT” and that all was lost.  

At 1600 while still on this course we touched a low of 989.6 mb, The forecast centre was 990 mb.

There was a slight increase in pressure after this and I was expecting the wind to veer (shift to the right) all the way around very soon now. I felt I should alter course to Port, to take the weather on my Starboard bow and follow the wind around as she veered. When I altered course to Port and the wind and sea came around to the Starboard bow her rolls to Port were too severe.  I altered back immediately.

The reason for this suddenly became apparent. We were consuming fuel from the Starboard fuel tank all this while and we had developed a port list which was not noticed because of this wind and sea on the port beam. In fact this slight port list countered this Port side wind and sea rather well.

 Now when we took the wind on the Starboard bow this list to Port was to our disadvantage.  We needed to correct this before the wind veered to our Starboard. The hose that we had kept ready to fill those cargo deep tanks as we had planned had to be inserted at the first opportunity.

At 1950 I sensed an opportunity and suggested to Ch.Off that we do this now.  He readily agreed. I reduced speed to 70 R.P.M. and held a course to keep the wind and weather to Port.  

Ch. Off Vinod and Seaman G. Ferdinand went out on deck and inserted this hose, opened the deck line valve and returned back. We started filling in the starboard cargo deep tank as we had planned. We were now ready to take the weather on any side. 

At 2015 we increased speed to 100 R.P.M. and at 2045 made that to full speed at 120 R.P.M. and we were ploughing comfortably towards our Sonavati search area.

Suffice it to say that though we may have been scared witless, we did succeed in making it through this storm. We were a Scindia family and lives were at stake. We would not be able to face ourselves had we not made this attempt while we felt that we had a chance. Peace.

9th December 1973.

At 0540 Ch. Off’s star sight gave us a position line that ran right through our planned area for a search.

We latched on to that position line and I altered our course along this position line at 0620 to a Course of 155 T. At 0712 when we got a sun sight we had a fix.

We could now inform the Principal Officer of the oil slick we passed at 0700 was in position 15 46 N, 84 42 E.  At 0900 we passed another oil patch and this too was reported to the Principal Officer Madras along with the area we planned to

search. A - 15 18 N, 85 25 E.  B - 14 56 N, 85 49 E. C - 14 39 N, 85 07 E,   D - 15 02 N, 85 07 E.

We started at the southern end and worked our way north in swaths of 8 miles back and forth, concentrating on just the 4 miles on either side of us.  It was a moonlit night and so we continued into the night.  

When we were on a course of 270 T  Cadet Lasrado saw what seemed to be a flare on the Port bow.  Through the binoculars it seemed to flicker alternately red and white and then extinguish.

We had doubts this was a flare. But then what if it was? We altered to 247 T at 2030 and after 28 miles of a futile run I decided to stop for the night.  We were all too tired and bleary eyed.

When we were all stopped at 2228, I let her drift with all deck lights on.  If any vessels came our way while in this mode I was to be called.  Told Ch.Off to take his star sight in the morning and we would take it from there.    

We deduced later that what we thought to be a flare was Venus playing hide

and seek with some clouds just before she set.

10th December 1973.

At 0600 Ch.Off Vinod took a star sight and we resumed our search.  

We first retraced those 28 miles of our futile run on a reciprocal course.

At 0800 I had the con and as I steadied her on a course of 045 T, I noticed a speck on the horizon. A look through the binoculars showed that it might be a buoy that

may have got adrift.

As we neared however we could see it was a lifeboat under sail. At 0830 we were

next to her.  There was much jubilation.  At 0900 we informed the Principal Officer that we had picked up 23 survivors in a L.B. in position 15 02 N, 84 48 E and that the others should be in the same area.

Those we picked up from the L.B. told us that the balance 15 were in the life raft.

After we picked up this lot, an Indian Air Force Super Constellation aircraft flew over. We had communication problems with the aircraft. We had planned to search now in an expanding spiral and as we set our first course, Madras which was in touch with the aircraft told us that we were moving away from the liferaft

survivors. 

Thanks to Radio Officer Rangnekar's persistence, we finally established communication with the aircraft on 2182 kc/s.  The aircraft then helped us to locate the rest.

Because of the swell and seas, I opted not to lower our motor lifeboat. Preferred instead to stop her to windward and broadside to the wind and then let her waft us down to whatever it was we wanted to pick up.

This worked very well and all were picked up all in this manner.  Pilot ladders were rigged one either side abreast at No.4 hatch which was slightly abaft mid length of our ship and the hatch in front of the bridge.

Ch. Off Vinod Kakar was in charge at the ladder.  Small kicks on the engine either ahead or astern got the ladder perfectly in line for picking them up. The survivors from the L.B. came up the ladder on their own steam.

The derricks at No.4 hatch in front of the bridge were of 4 ton SWL. We used these to pick up the L.B’s. one on either side.  

By 1606 we had completed picking up whatever there was to pick up and I set course for Madras at 1606 from Lat 14 55 N, Long 84 43.5 E.

Total crew of the Sonavati were 38. We picked up 23 survivors from the L.B., 5 from the life raft, 4 dead bodies, 2 L.B’s, and 2 life jackets that had what looked like shark bites on them. The bodies of 6 who were witnessed to be attacked by sharks were not found.

Yours faithfully,

Capt.P.M.Abraham.

Master of the Jalamoti at the time of this Rescue.

Citation from DG Shipping

Citation from National Mari time Day Committee

===== My 'Chennai Perumai' days will continue in Blog 29 =====