FIFTY years ago, on October 26, 1968, the brave crew of a Wessex Mk 1 helicopter battled the elements for hours to save more than 100 men, women and children when a ferry ran aground half a world away. Rachel Stretton speaks to a retired Royal Navy Commander who piloted the helicopter that day, and believes he is the last of the crew still alive.

“THEY really did show extraordinary courage.”

The spotlight may often fall on rescuers, but it is the stoicism of the people aboard the ferry that impressed Commander Royal Navy (Retired) Anthony Holt, MBE.

Half a century after the disaster in the Fiji Islands which, miraculously, didn’t claim a single life, Cdr Holt, who was one of two pilots aboard the helicopter that day, is remembering the rescue from his home in Dorchester.

The Wessex Mk 1 helicopter 403 of Number 829 Naval Air Squadron (HMS Fife Flight), which was based on Portland, winched 103 people to safety after the Fijian inter-island ferry, the Tui Lau, ran aground on a coral reef.

Battered by strong gales, with waves breaking over the wreck and farm animals running around in panic, as well as sharks circling beyond the reef, the crew battled for five hours, saving dozens of lives.

Cdr Holt explained that while the helicopter was based on Portland, and most of the crew lived in Weymouth at the time, the aircraft had been on tour with the HMS Fife, the ship the helicopter was attached to, visiting the United States before sailing onto Australia and New Zealand. They were en route to Hawaii when a distress call was received.

From starry sky to crowds and chaos

Cdr Holt said he was ‘fast asleep and looking forward to a quiet day’ when the summons came.

“It was 3am when we were awakened and told to get to the operations room. We had a briefing and the ship was already up to full speed heading north and following the distress call. We set off in the helicopter. It was a lovely, clear day, a starry sky following through into the dawn.

“It was still early morning when we came across the Tui Lau firmly aground on a reef surrounding the then-uninhabited island of Totoya.”

The sight the crew was confronted with was ‘crowds’ of people, mainly Fijians who didn’t speak English, and many of them children. Pigs, goats, chickens and ducks were running around ‘in panic’, Cdr Holt said.

What impressed him, then and now, was the stoicism of the Fijian people who weren’t panicking, but waiting calmly to be rescued.

“The ferry was rolling around like a fairground ride,” he added. “At first we tried to pass a tow line to our own ship but that failed. We had both pilots on the controls while our bold and brave crew members brought up passengers one at a time.”

Bravery of crew

The crew members included fellow pilot Graham Stock, Neville Truter and Robin ‘Billy’ Walker. The winching operation took more than four and a half hours, while the entire time involved in the rescue was around nine hours.

“The presence of the Royal Navy was very fortuitous,” Cdr Holt said. “There was no other capable aircraft within 2,000 miles. Many sharks could be seen cruising in the water behind the stricken ship. The sea was very rough over the reef and no boat or person could have survived the reef.”

There was also danger to the helicopter crew. The spray from the waves caused a steady reduction on the power of the gas turbine engine, meaning the helicopter had to return to the HMS Fife several times to shut down the engine and wash it out with fresh water.

A nation's thanks

After the rescue, the Fijians showed their thanks by inviting the crew to the remote island of Viwa and presenting them with a Tabua, a ceremonial whale’s tooth held in high esteem in Fijian society. The ceremony involved dancing, and the crew were presented with garlands of flowers and a drink made of a powerful opiate.

“We had to drink it, “Cdr Holt said. “It would have been insulting not to. It’s a strange thing. Your lips and head freeze and you can’t speak for 20 minutes.”

When the ceremony ended, the crew returned to the helicopter to find huge amounts of fruit had been piled around the aircraft as another gift.

“It took us five or six trips to get it back to the ship,” Cdr Holt remembers.

Looking back

Despite the passage of 50 years, the rescue remains a stark memory for Cdr Holt who, after leaving the navy following a distinguished career, turned his hand to writing books.

It was, he admits, ‘lucky’ that there was not a single fatality from the crew or the passengers of the doomed Tui Lau.

“It was very much a crew effort,” he added. “The Navy is known as the silent service; you just get on with things. The way most of us would look at it is ‘yes, it’s a difficult job, but let’s see how we can minimise the risks and get it done as quickly as possible’.”

Half a century on, he remains impressed at the ‘extraordinary courage’ of the Fijian people, many of whom had never seen a helicopter before.

“You would have thought there would be people rushing around, but there was none of it. They just stood there, waiting calmly for the next lift.

“It is quite something that no one lost their lives in this. And I think that is something to celebrate.”