The crew, which included two Australian nationals, a New Zealander and a French national, was ultimately rescued. A ‘huge’ sperm whale collided with a 52-foot yacht in the South Pacific, sinking the vessel and leaving its four-person crew stranded in a life raft for nearly 17 hours.
As per a press release by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), the crew members reported the collision happened without warning on a clear, calm afternoon. Watch the rescue video here: When the seawater started rushing into the cabin, the crew immediately sent out a Mayday call and activated their emergency locator beacons. The distress signal alerted rescue coordinators in New Zealand, who dispatched a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft to locate the floating raft. “This was a well-coordinated and executed rescue, and I’d like to thank our partners at the New Zealand Defence Force for their assistance, along with the assistance of JRCC Australia and MRCC Noumea who provided support.
The scary incident took place about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island when the emergency services were alerted that the Australian vessel Tai Tam was “taking on water after hitting a whale”. Our thanks also extend to crew of the MV SOFRANA SURVILLE and a private sailing vessel who effected the rescue,” Mike Clulow, the rescue coordination centre operations manager, said.
