SAF'S LAST SHIP RETURNS; CONCLUDES JAVA SEA SEARCH OPS

MV Swift Rescue returned to Changi Naval Base on 18 Jan after a 20-day search in the Java Sea for AirAsia plane QZ8501. During its deployment, the ship found the main fuselage of the ill-fated flight.

The main fuselage was found on 14 Jan. Said Major (MAJ) Wee Hong Tat, Deputy Officer Commanding of MV Swift Rescue: "Our sonars picked up a large contact which was nothing like what we had seen in the past two weeks of searching.

"From the sonar returns, there were five large objects on the bottom which were most probably metallic," said MAJ Wee. Through the cameras of the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), a submersible vehicle, they obtained visual confirmation that it was the main fuselage of QZ8501.

It was the last Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) ship to return and that marked the end of the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) deployment in the Indonesia-led multinational search operations.

The deployment began on 28 Dec 2014 and involved more than 400 personnel, two C-130 aircraft, two Super Puma helicopters, five RSN ships and a 6-man Autonomous Underwater Vehicle team.

Speaking to the media after receiving MV Swift Rescue, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen commended the men and women who were deployed for the search operations.

"I am very satisfied with the way our SAF performed; they were very professional. They went out, did their jobs, put in their full effort for every task assigned."

He added: "They've helped the families of the victims find closure as well as find answers to what caused the accident."

Commander Task Group Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) Chow Khim Chong recounted the weather conditions during the search. "There was constant rain and rough seas but everyone pushed on."

Speaking on the level of coordination during the search, he said: "Indonesia was very forthcoming with daily updates and communications with the other ships in terms of exchanging information on the ground went very well."

During each day of the search operation, the deployed forces from the RSN and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) would comb the search sectors assigned to them by BASARNAS - Indonesia's national search & rescue agency.

The RSAF was the first from the SAF to join the search operations and the focus in those early days was on the surface search. RSAF Detachment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lim Kuang Hiok, said: "We flew about nine hours each day across three sorties." This was to make use of the useful hours in each day to maximise the search time so that they could complete the assigned search sectors. "This is just one of the things we are trained for."

For men on the ground such as 3rd Sergeant (3SG) (NS) Goh Zhe Wen, it was the thought of the families that kept him going during the three-hour long sorties. "I just kept telling myself that I must do this diligently and properly because it's very important for them (the families)."

That, too, came with challenges. "Compared to the size of the sea, the objects that we were looking for were quite miniscule."

Added 3SG (NS) Goh: "I'm just glad that I can help the families draw some closure in my own way." The 20-year-old had volunteered for the search operations.

Those on the ships were spurred on by similar thoughts. Recounting when Landing Ship Tank RSS Persistence found a life raft during a search, Military Expert (ME) 1 Nicholas Wee said: "I felt quite sad upon seeing the raft but I'm also proud that we did whatever we could to help."

Said the 27-year-old sailor: "We gave some closure to the victims' families. That makes all our work here worthwhile."

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Ng Chee Meng and Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Lai Chun Han were among the senior officers who welcomed MV Swift Rescue back.