Sunday, March 9, 2025 - Interesting and Related Story

Since this story is not really about Port Elizabeth, it did take place in the waters off of its coast.  I won't divulge the identity of the people involved (at least yet) but rest assured that this is a true story.  Actually, many of you may remember this story from 1991. 

There is one piece of interesting history that took place in the waters off this coast that is particularly important to us and I really want to share it with you. It's a story that could have ended in tragedy  but, instead, is the story of a hero.  I hope it brightens your day.....

In 1991, a luxury liner, Oceanos, carrying over 500 passengers, started taking on water in rough seas during a voyage around the coast of South Africa.  During an intense storm the ship began to roll severely.  Waiters were spilling drinks and food.  Three of the ship's entertainers, a guitarist from Zimbabwe, his wife, and a magician, were playing in the extreme weather by bracing their bodies as they played.  The storm continued to get worse.  All of a sudden the lights went out throughout he ship.  Soon, small emergency lights came on but the ship's engines had lost power and was slowing down.  Soon, the ship was drifting sideways on the crashing waves. The Oceanos was getting hammered. Everything started sliding around, and people had to sit on the floor as the ship swung wildly from side to side.  The situation lasted for about an hour and the guitar player tried to keep playing and keep passengers calm.  He noted the ship was drifting to one side and knew something significant was wrong. He went to find one of the crew to get instructions on what to do.  He discovered that one lifeboat had already the ship with some of senior officers onboard.   The Captain had been on the lifeboat but one of the crew members reminded him he was supposed to stay with the ship so he climbed back on!  The passengers were not notified of the situation or that the officers had left the ship.

The three entertainers were the only crew they could find who were left on the ship.  The entertainers had no idea how to evacuate a cruise ship or how to launch the lifeboats which hung high above the deck along each side of the ship.  There were no officers on the ship that could explain how to launch lifeboats or assist them in evacuating the sinking ship.  After continued trials, the entertainers eventually figured out how to lower the lifeboats.  One by one they began lowering them down to the deck.  They didn't know how to keep the lifeboats steady as they transferred  passengers into them.  

Once the lifeboats were alongside the ship they were heaving back and forth, smashing with full force against the ship's hull so that bits of of the lifeboats came splintering off.  Passengers were screaming in fear as they transferred into the boats.  Once a lifeboat was full the guitarist had no idea how to start the lifeboat engines or even where the keys were kept!  With each lifeboat full with 90 passengers, the guitarist just had to let them go into the night allowing them to drift away into the pounding waves.  It was freezing and completely dark.  However, they had no choice but to keep putting passengers into lifeboats.

 

The ship kept taking in more and more water and waves kept smashing from side to side into the hull.  It became impossible to launch the remaining lifeboats.  It might have been deadly to attempt to make the transfer.  The guitarist went to look for the Captain or any crew and soon believed that it was just him, his wife, the magician, and the remaining passengers who were still on the sinking ship.  He and the other entertainers took turns trying to use the radio to send an SOS.  He was calling, "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" Eventually a voice answered and asked what their coordinates were!  The guitarist said he had no idea.  The voice asked to speak to the Captain and was told "we can't find him!!  It's just us."  He was told to find the Captain but the guitarist had no idea where he was or if he was still on board.  He went searching for him in every location that was still above water.  The lower decks were already under water. Eventually, the entertainer found the Captain who just looked at him as he continued sitting, smoking his cigar, with wide eyes and a vacant stare!  He was in deep shock.  Somehow, the guitarist and the other two entertainers were able to describe where they were so that rescue helicopters were able to locate them.

The entertainers knew the ship was close to completely sinking.  They began to consider what would happen to their families if they didn't make it.  Finally, as dawn broke, navy helicopters arrived and two navy divers were lowered onto the deck.  They needed help to get everyone off the ship before it sank.  The guitarist was given a five-minute crash course on how to operate a helicopter airlift.  To get everyone off the ship before it sank fully they needed to airlift two passengers at a time.  So, now the entertainer had to learn how to attach two people to the helicopter lift.  As terrified passengers dangled in mid-air on the helicopter cable, people who the guitarist was trying to save were being blown against part of the ship by the strong winds as they were raised into the sky.  There was no way of knowing how badly they were hurt. 

In total, five helicopters joined the rescue mission, shuttling back and forth, carrying 12 people at a time to safety as dawn broke and darkness faded into light. Drained and completely exhausted, the guitarist and his wife were the last to be strapped into harnesses.  According to the entertainer, "As we were hovering above the ship it really hit me.  I could see the Oceanos was in a critical situation.  We could see waves breaking over the bow where we had been rescuing people"  When the helicopter carrying him touched down on the grass, cruise passengers ran towards him singing and cheering, and reaching out to hug him.  He recounts "I started to choke up and sob, and then I collapsed." About 45 minutes after the last person on board had been airlifted to safety, the ship slipped away below the water.  The passengers who had been put into lifeboats was rescued by passing ships, and remarkably no lives were lost.

Now, why would I tell you this lengthy story out this heroic man in this blog?  Because the guitarist who saved every one of these lives is our Cruise Director, Moss Hills.  He continues to be an incredible man and we are extremely blessed to have him in our lives.  There was a young woman from South Africa who found out that he was our cruise director and was so excited.  She said they had learned about him in school.  He is a hero in South Africa, to the over 500 passengers he saved, to their daughter who was back on land in school at the time, and to all who know him.  We are so happy and proud to call him a friend.