48, No. 7, May 04, 2006
shipwreck the Sygna pictured in 1974 after running aground
on Stockton Beach.
as she looks today more than 30 years later.
courtesy The Newcastle Herald
waters off the east coast of Australia are renowned for their
often sudden, unpredictable and violent storms.
Testimony to their power lies in the dozens of sunken ships that
litter these waters, often in only a few metres.
Typical of these is the 53,000-tonne Norwegian bulk carrier Sygna.
During May 1974 the NSW coast was battered by storm-force winds
and heavy seas. The ports of Sydney and Newcastle were closed
and Newcastle reported swells of more than 17m at the entrance.
On May 26, Sygna, on her maiden voyage, was anchored four kilometres
off Newcastle, waiting to enter port to load 50,000 tonnes of
coal for Europe.
As she waited, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a storm warning.
All ships anchored off the ports were advised to head to sea.
Seven of the 10 ships anchored off Newcastle immediately did so,
but Sygna remained at anchor.
By 1am the following morning, the wind had increased in strength
to 165km/h and, with the huge seas and a lee shore, the captain
decided to sail. He weighed anchor and the ship got under way.
He was too late. Even with her engines full-ahead, Sygna was unable
to make any headway and the force of the storm turned her parallel
to the beach. Within 30 minutes she was aground on Stockton Beach.
Heavy seas broke over the stricken ship and her captain radioed
a Mayday and ordered his crew to prepare to abandon ship.
Rescue authorities contacted RAAF Base Williamtown, which scrambled
an Iroquois helicopter.
Its crew was FLTLT Gary McFarlane, CPL Geoff Smith, LAC Maurie
Summers and Army CAPT Brian Hayden, who acted as a second observer.
FLTLT McFarlane and CPL Smith had flown together previously with
9SQN in Vietnam.
As they approached the stricken ship, they realised they were
facing a significant problem.
They would have to hover to rescue the crew and although the winds
had dropped to about 50km/h, they faced a black night, total cloud
cover with a base at only a few hundred feet, severe turbulence
and a combination of driving rain and spray from the waves breaking
over the ship driving 150m into the air, which severely reduced
To effect a safe rescue they would have to close to within just
a few metres of the ship and remain as stationary as possible
to operate the winch.
As the Iroquois approached Sygna, FLTLT McFarlane noticed that
the crew was huddled in the aft section of the ship, where the
accommodation was. The wind was blowing most of the spray clear
of that area, so he decided to make his approach there.
This presented him further hazards from the superstructure, masts
and other fixtures, any of which placed the chopper at risk if
it struck them or they fouled the rotors.
For the next 75 minutes the crew winched the Sygnas 28 men
and two women from the deck in groups of two or three and flew
them all without casualty some 200m to the safety of the nearby
The storm passed and salvage operations began. However, after
Sygna was swung round, the heavier stern section settled into
deeper water and broke the ships back. The bow section was
eventually recovered and taken to Japan but the stern remains,
the largest shipwreck in Australias history.