Thanking my rescuer, 30 Years on..

 July’18 saw a dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their coach from a Thai cave. The world heaved a collective sigh of relief. Large unscathed physically, the boys and the coach have returned to normal life.  

30 years ago – 30thJuly 1988. A Saturday. Mediterranean Sea. I was a senior officer on a British flagged tanker. I had been awake the previous 60+ hours overseeing the difficult discharge. With a short sea trip to load port – tank cleaning commenced immediately. About 8 hours later – came a panicky voice; a newly joined seaman had entered a non-gas free tank.

Rescue operations commenced – it was an old tanker and the seaman had managed to find his way to the suction at the aft end of the tank. The only tank entrance was from a dome at the fore end.

Long story short, many rescue attempts later, overcome with exhaustion – I collapsed near the aftermost transversal. Rescue was suspended. A SoS was raised - a helicopter team arrived and 3 hours later – barely alive, I was helped out of the tank, whisked away in a helicopter and taken to a French Army hospital in soaking boiler-suit soaked with Naphtha. After a quick shower – as the lung was failing – was placed in ICU where I breathed Oxygen for 3 days.. until they found the skin on my left arm/upper side skin peeling… packed off to the burns unit for a week… where I slept under a tent as they treated the cold burn – the naphtha was taking the skin one layer at a time.

In my delirious state (I was told) – I tried to get out of the tank and that caused the nerve damage, gas inhalation and naphtha soaking the skin.

3 weeks of treatment later, by now semi-paralysed on the left arm – I came back home. Given a ~50% chance of recovery – it took 5 months of painful rehab to get to medical fitness to go back to sea. Which I did…

I will always be thankful to the (nameless except 3/Off James Netto) rescuers and the excellent care of French Army hospital in Marseille which helped me survive. The French had the peeled skin collected in an envelope and became part of the medical reports. 

15 years ago while moving from KL to SG we found closure by burning it. Watching a self-cremation of sorts was kind of eeriee..

Yes, thankfully the seaman survived too. As he was seated in one place and supplied with oxygen via a SCBA. He had no discernible injuries and recovered quickly. 

I posted the above to my cohort on 30thJuly 2018. A world-wide search was launched for (Capt) James Netto. He was located in Sydney, Australia. 

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*Yesterday, 30+ years later, I had the honour and privilege to meet my rescuer James Netto in Singapore.*

A plaque was presented as a momento (see picture)

Thank you James!!