HISTORICAL RESCUES: THE BOS 400
Taking on the BOS 400 If there is one rescue that stands out for experienced NSRI crewman Phil Ress, it was the evacuation of 18 crew off the crane barge BOS 400 in 1994. The mission was a success but, to date, it remains his most harrowing encounter at sea. By Wendy Maritz
commander Howard Godfrey knew something was amiss on the morning of 26 June 1994 when he was driving along Sea Point’s Beach Road and noticed what appeared to be a crane barge about 1.3nm miles offshore. Howard was on his way to watch The Ice Show with his family, but the sight of the barge, which was ‘a bit too close to shore for comfort’, prompted him to call Port Control. A MERCILESS STORM There clearly was a drama unfolding. The 100m crane barge BOS 400 was being towed by a Russian tugboat, Tigr, but the operation appeared to be in extreme difficulty as a merciless storm was battering Cape Town’s coast. A northwesterly wind of 44 |
SEA RESCUE SPRING 2021
more than 50 knots was blowing, and swells were peaking at eight metres. But Howard was told he’d be informed of further developments. That update came in about 10 minutes into The Ice Show and both he and Phil Ress were asked to report to the Court Helicopter base in Paarden Island. They were to get a taste of what was to come later in the day when they were tasked with evacuating a pilot from a freighter. Howard recalls that the sea off the breakwater was huge. Once the pilot was dropped ashore, Phil, Howard, and the Court Helicopter crew – captains John Pocock and Brent Curtin, and engineer Jannie Jansen – were asked to fly over BOS 400 and report back. The tow line was intact, but the tugboat was having difficulty making her way out to sea. The helicopter returned to base and the crew reported their findings.
PHOTOGRAPH: AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY/ANA
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ORMER STATION 3 (Table Bay) station
