Four sailors rescued after sperm whale sinks yacht in South Pacific
Four sailors were rescued after a sperm whale struck and sank their yacht in the remote South Pacific. A New Zealand Air Force surveillance aircraft helped coordinate the rescue. The crew were taken aboard a cargo ship as their yacht went under.
Wellington, October 1 — A sperm whale rammed the hull of a 16-metre yacht, the Tai Tam, in the remote South Pacific, forcing four sailors into a harrowing day-and-night ordeal on the open sea. The collision occurred approximately 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island, leaving the crew with a vessel severely damaged and water swiftly flooding in.
Australian Jemma Cooper recounted the harrowing moment when their boat was struck by a pod of sperm whales, noting the "loud thud" and the vessel being pushed sideways. Her husband Jeremy Cooper, who awoke from his slumber below deck, immediately realized the severity of the situation, as the steering gear was smashed on the starboard side and water was rapidly entering the boat.
At 1pm New Zealand time on Saturday (2400 GMT Friday), the crew activated an emergency beacon, declaring a full mayday. The Royal New Zealand Air Force swiftly sent a P-8A Poseidon patrol plane to the scene to establish radio communications and coordinate the rescue efforts. French crew member Martin Jaffre described the heavy damage the whale collision inflicted on the yacht, including multiple gashes in the hull, a cracked fibre glass structure, and the loss of steering.
Jaffre and his fellow sailors attempted to mitigate the incoming water by utilizing whatever resources were available, including expanding foam, and swam below the boat to inspect the hull. As night fell, they made the difficult decision to abandon ship and transfer to a life raft in calm waters under a full moon. Shortly after midnight on Sunday, the sailors cut the tether to the yacht, fearing it would drag them down as well.
The 143-metre container ship, the MV Sofrana Surville, arrived at the scene at 6am Sunday (1700 GMT Saturday), rescuing the sailors about 18 hours after their encounter with the sperm whale. Jeremy Cooper recalled the frightening approach of the massive ship to their tiny life raft, but within half an hour, all four sailors were safely aboard the rescue vessel, sharing a cup of coffee and chatting with the captain. Despite the ordeal, they were relieved to have survived the encounter without loss of life.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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