Four Sailors Rescued After Sperm Whale Sinks Yacht in South Pacific
Four sailors survived 18 hours at sea after a sperm whale collision sank their 52-foot yacht in the South Pacific. Read the full rescue account here.
POLICY WIRE — Norfolk Island, South Pacific — A 52-foot yacht named Tai Tam was sent to the bottom of the ocean after a violent encounter with a pod of sperm whales, leaving four crew members stranded for 18 hours.
The incident occurred 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island, where the vessel was struck with enough force to knock Australian crew member Jemma Cooper away from the steering wheel. She described a loud thud that pushed the boat sideways, followed by the realization that they were surrounded by six to eight whales.
Jeremy Cooper, who was below deck during the impact, noted that the collision caused immediate and severe damage, including a shattered steering system and significant water intake. The crew issued a mayday call at 1 p.m. New Zealand time on Saturday, just 30 minutes after the initial strike.
French crew member Martin Jaffre attempted to mitigate the flooding using expansion foam and even dove beneath the hull to assess the damage. Despite their efforts to bail water by hand and keep the engine running, the crew was eventually forced to abandon the vessel under a full moon.
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The sailors transferred to a life raft and cut the tether to their sinking yacht in the early hours of Sunday morning. By 6 a.m. that same day, they were plucked from the water by the 470-foot container ship MV Sofrana Surville, following a coordinated effort involving a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon patrol plane.
Mike Clulow, operations manager at the Rescue Coordination Centre, commended the crew for their preparedness and the timely activation of their emergency beacon. While the yacht was lost, all four sailors were safely recovered, marking a fortunate conclusion to a harrowing ordeal.
This event follows a similar maritime accident in July, where a whale collision resulted in the sinking of a New Jersey fire department vessel. Sperm whales, which can reach lengths of 60 feet, are currently classified as a vulnerable species facing threats from ship strikes and environmental factors.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
