Angels of Mercy sail through East Sea
Brave, self sacrificing, patriotic, these words correctly describe the HQ 628's crew. The boat is part of the Vietnamese navy's fleet of patrol vessels serving the islands and shipping in the East Sea. Two weeks ago, Viet Nam News reporter Le Quynh Anh boarded the 60m ship for four days as it took Tet presents to the soldiers and residents on the Con Co and Ly Son Islands off the central coast. She can testify to the crew's capabilities – they rescued her after she fell overboard into the icy sea on day three!
On the twelfth day of last Lunar New Year, Le Thanh Ngan, a sailor on the 60-metre long HQ 628, received news from the mainland that his wife had haemorrhaged while giving birth to his daughter in Da Nang general hospital.
Her blood type was O, which is not uncommon, but meant she could only receive transfusions from those in the same blood group. In hospital, she bled so much that the blood bank ran out of supplies.
Ngan's wife, Le Thi Binh, was in such a bad condition that his relatives warned him he should prepare himself for the worst. He received the alarming news during the festive Tet holiday season. "All I wanted to do was to be by my wife's side, but we were literally oceans apart," said Ngan.
Ngan and his comrades were miles away when the news came through and it was doubtful if their vessel, which was not built for speed, could make it in time. The nearest speed boats were 100 nautical miles (180km) away on Con Co Island off the coast of the central province of Quang Tri.
The ship immediately headed towards the island so Ngan could take a fast boat home to reach his wife in time. Meanwhile, on the mainland, the High Command of Naval Zone C mobilised the navy to do everything possible to help a comrade's wife.
Within an hour, 20 soldiers had their blood tested and six units of the correct O-type were given to Binh. Next day, an extra 21 units of O-type bloods were collected from nearly 40 naval officers to prepare for more transfusions.
The donated blood gradually brought colour back into Binh's face. Doctors said she missed death by a whisker, thanks to the fraternal bonds between naval officers.
Ngan was deeply moved when he recalled the life-threatening incident. "Such purely altruistic acts are not uncommon in the armed forces, particularly the navy, where the bond of solidarity is something unique," he said.
That 32-day-long Tet patrol made a sharp imprint not only on Ngan, but also on his fellow officers. Tong Tran Thien, one of the patrol ship's three vice captains, recalled the first time he was on patrol during Tet.
"Although I had prepared myself, not being home to see in the new year really had me floundering with emotion," he said. It was also hard for the crew. Although they had tried to create the homely spirit of Tet by serving a big meal with typical specialities, including banh chung (square sticky-rice cakes) and gio (lean-pork paste) and decorated their clubroom with paper apricots and peach blossoms, they missed the smiling faces of their loved ones.
"We even couldn't send our New Year's greetings to our loved ones through telephone. We were too far away for mobile network coverage," Thien said.
Nobody wants to stay away from family, friends and loved ones when Tet is in full swing – and no husband wants to be oceans away when his wife is in labour. But naval officers such as Ngan and Thien are accustomed to the deprivation. They accept it as part of the job of protecting the country. The nation comes first!
Patrol ship HQ 628 is one of many that look after Viet Nam's waters in the East Sea. Continual vigilance of the movements of marine vessels calls for the vessels to be at sea for weeks at a time – and in all weather conditions.
Vice captain Thien said the patrol boats were so far out to sea that radio and television signals were almost impossible to receive at times and the crew felt isolated from the rest of the world. "It is very hard for us to stay fully informed out there. Every time we hit shore after weeks at sea, we have to catch up with the news. And we keep thinking about everything people onshore take for granted, such as fresh vegetables, meat, fruit and water."
"The ocean may look breathtaking from a TV screen, but believe me, when your daily life is literally floating on it, that experience is not always good fun," Thien said.
Seasickness sometimes can be a real nightmare for new sailors. One young vice captain, Phan Thanh Tu, recalled trying to keep food down during the first few days of his first long trip. As the ship kept rocking and rolling, just the thought of eating could scare the hell out of him. "That time I just decided to go hungry," he said.
Besides patrol duty, the HQ 628 carries out search-and-rescue operations off the coast of central Viet Nam. The region is home to thousands of fishing vessels exploiting rich fishing grounds. It is also one of the most storm-prone parts of Viet Nam.
The ship has assisted and rescued so many fishing vessels, particularly those in Quang Nam and Quang Tri Provinces, that she is now seen as a symbol of hope and safety.
Each year, an average of six to seven tropical storms strike the region. Although weather forecasting has improved remarkably, the severity of the storms still catches some fishermen completely by surprise.
HQ 628 is one of dozens of patrol ships deployed to help fishermen in distress. "No-one wants to enter a storm zone that many vessels are desperately trying to escape, but we have to because that's our mission," vice captain Tu said.
Tu said the crew often put their lives at risk to save the lives of others. He said when his ship reached the scene of an incident, rescue operations could be deadly if the weather was heavy. He has seen mountainous seas breaking over the ship's prow and striking its sides, but the crew continued on with their tasks on deck.
"There is a Crazy Galleon game in amusement parks where you tilt at a 45 degree angle 20 metres above ground. It is extremely frightening, but nothing compared to reality. The most scary part is that you don't know when it will end," Tu said.
Harsh weather can make rescue operations extremely difficult. There is no room for imprecision. One small mistake can lead to a life lost.
In May 2006, HQ 628 once went hundreds of kilometres into the eye of the notorious typhoon Chanchu to save 28 fishermen. Senior mechanical engineer Pham Van Khuong, who has worked on the ship since 1995, began to tremble when recalling the moment when the ship finally approached a fleet of fishing vessels after a three-day search.
"I saw relief shine on desperate faces where, just minutes before, there had been grief and hopelessness," he said. HQ 628 has assisted and rescued so many fishing vessels in central Viet Nam that she has become a familiar symbol.
The Lunar New Year is only several days away and fortunately, it appears like it will be spent on land. Ngan and Binh's year-old daughter sleeps as peacefully as an angel in the embrace of her mother as the Year of the Cat approaches and when the crew gather at the year-end meeting. — VNS
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