Whale Sinks Yacht in Pacific Ocean, Sailors Rescued 18 Hours Later
- On Sunday, the 143m container ship MV Sofrana Surville rescued four sailors after a sperm whale struck their 16m yacht Tai Tam in the South Pacific on Friday.
- Australian Jemma Cooper reported a "loud thud" that pushed the vessel sideways when the whale struck. The collision smashed the steering gear and cracked the hull, forcing the crew to bail water for hours.
- About 30 minutes after impact, New Zealand crew member Terry Hetherington stated they "declared a full mayday." The Royal New Zealand Air Force deployed a P-8A surveillance aircraft to establish communications and coordinate the rescue.
- The sailors abandoned their sinking yacht in calm seas Sunday morning, transferring to a life raft before boarding the Sofrana Surville. Rescue Coordination Centre Operations Manager Mike Clulow praised the effort, saying, "This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue."
- Sperm whales, listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, face threats from ship strikes and noise pollution. This incident marks at least the second whale-sinking in two months, following a July strike on a New Jersey fire department boat.
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Four crew members were rescued after spending about 18 hours drifting into a life raft. Tai Tam yacht sank after suffering serious damage to the hull, steering system and structure by impact.
Who were the sailors who survived 18 hours after sperm whales sank their yacht
A yacht with four crew members sank in the South Pacific after colliding with a whale around 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island. The 51-foot Tai Tam suffered severe hull and steering damage and started taking on water. The crew activated an emergency beacon, declared a mayday and worked for hours to control the flooding before abandoning the vessel for a life raft.
Kreiszeitung
A sperm whale rams the yacht of four sailors in the South Pacific. It follows 18 hours of survival struggle – and an end that they will never forget.
Race against time to save crew after colossal, rarely seen deep sea beasts smash up yacht in Pacific
The rare deep-sea predators that inspired famed novel Moby Dick took a New Zealand yacht out of commission in the Pacific Ocean this past weekend — pushing its crew into survival mode.
The crew of the "Tai Tam", a 16-metre sailing yacht that sank after a violent collision with cetaceans, were found safe and sound on Saturday, 26 September, more than 300 kilometres from Nouméa, New Caledonia.
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