Today in History: The Greek liner Oceanos sinks off the South Africa coast
Helicopters came to the rescue, and one of the first lifted out of danger was Captain Yiannis Avaranas.
On 4 August, 1991, the Greek liner Oceanos sank off the South African coast in heavy seas. All 571 passengers on board were rescued by the members of 35 Squadron, along with other squadrons. The captain and crew were reported to have abandoned ship.
An explosion shook the engine room of the Greek cruise ship, as it sailed off the South African coast.
With hundreds of people on board, the ship sprang a leak, then began to list and slowly started to sink.
At this point, the crew was supposed to jump into action and implement a rescue plan. In the case of the Oceanos, however, most of the crew members left the ship in the lifeboats, leaving about 200 passengers behind.
Helicopters came to the rescue, and one of the first lifted out of danger was Captain Yiannis Avaranas.
Meanwhile, dozens of men, women and children still trapped on the ship were left fearing for their lives.
Later, Avaranas apparently said, “When I give the order to abandon ship, it doesn’t matter what time I leave. Abandon is for everybody. If some people want to stay, they can stay.”
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
