Rescue Of 99 Vietnamese Boat People By Hmas Melbou, Details of Tracker 851 and Wessex 815

We got an email from Dave Morley who is a reporter with Navy News in Canberra.

He is presently working on a story for the paper on the rescue of 99 Vietnamese boat people by HMAS Melbourne in the South China Sea on 21 Jun 81.

Tracker 851 and Wessex 815 were both heavily involved in the rescue, however, this isn’t recorded on our ADF-Serials page.

So can anything of any minute detail be added here? If so I'll give you his email address via Questions@adf-serials.com.au

Gordy

Not sure what is required however I can add a link to a story with photo then add extra photos:

Restored Australian Navy aircraft allows emotional reunion for Vietnamese refugees, 40 years after dramatic rescue 14 Mar 2021

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/re...cue/ar-BB1eyWTk

"© Provided by ABC NEWS Former refugee Mai Hong and her family in front of the aircraft that sparked the rescue. (ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss)" https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/...id/BB1eyKXp.img

This post has been edited by SpazSinbad on Apr 12 2021, 05:52 PM

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Next photos sent by e-mail to me without any other details except they were from FaceBook.

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anotherie

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ASLO (yes I know)

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ABC News story 14 Mar 2021 with photos of the rescued & rescuers:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-14/hmas...d-1981/13242540

ILLAWARRA MERCURY story 10 Mar 2021 anticipates the visit: https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7...ed-their-lives/

This post has been edited by SpazSinbad on Apr 12 2021, 06:34 PM

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Neato

And thanks

He has not replied to me since I mentioned

" what's a nice Army Guy like you, working for the Navy?"

Gordy,..perplexed :blink:

How do you know Dave Morley is ex-ARMY?

Reunion at HARS 20 June 2021 from 1300-1600. Story from FLYBY [RAN FAA Monthly Magazine] May 2021 with PDF page about it attached. TEXT below is an excerpt from the PDF.

ABC TV & TEXT Story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/the-lu...-refugees/?nw=0

"On 21 June 1981 Grumman Tracker 851 flown by SBLT Dave Marshall with observer LEUT Steve Langlands and LS George Casey was on its last circuit of the day in the South China Sea when they spotted a vessel 10 miles west of Melbourne that appeared to be on fire.

The flames were, in fact, a signal from the disabled vessel Nghia Hung, crowded with Vietnamese refugees aged from seven months to 65 years, fleeing from Vietnam to Singapore. Their engine had broken down and the boat was adrift. The refugees were in dire straits and could hardly have survived much longer.

After covering the Tracker’s landing back on Melbourne as plane-guard, Wessex 815 piloted by LEUT Vince Di Pietro with LS Aircrewman Ray Cully and SAR diver AB Mitch Douglas aboard rushed to the scene until a boarding party and doctor arrived.

Over the next three hours, the hard-working officers and sailors of the Melbourne and destroyer escort Torrens brought a total of 99 exhausted and barely conscious men, women and children aboard the aircraft carrier.

Five days later, the Vietnamese, known as Melbourne Group 99 (MG-99), were disembarked at Singapore. They were transferred to a refugee camp and quickly processed as migrants to Australia...."

This post has been edited by SpazSinbad on Apr 30 2021, 01:02 PM

Attached File ( Number of downloads: 442 )
 851_S_2_Refugee_Reunion___story_FlyBy_May21_Final.pdf