A survivor’s horrifying tale

TURME: It was Jan 31, on Tuesday. I boarded the ship from Rabaul to Lae. We took off at about 3pm. We boarded a ship and we took off to Kimbe.
We face some bad weather conditions like the wind was strong and also the sea was also rough, but we ma­naged to – to go to Kimbe.
From Kimbe, some of the passengers, they got out of the vessel, and some board again the vessel.
So from Kimbe, it was like many, many (people) boarded the vessel from Kimbe. So it was like overloading from Kimbe. More passengers and also cargoes were loaded.
While we were travelling (from Kimbe to Lae), we experienced strong winds and waves. It was also raining.
The ship was overloaded, I think about 500 plus passengers because some of us, like me, couldn’t sleep because there’s no space in the ship. But we give first priority to the girls so they can sleep.
But mostly the men, they just hang around outside.
So I went into the toilet because there’s no space outside to hang around because the sea was also rough.
No space for us to sleep. Like you cannot stretch yourself. We were shoulder to shoulder.
(On) Thursday morning, Feb 2, about half past six, I think the crew, one of them called out to the boys (to) go up and try to balance the ship because the sea was rough and strong winds – the ship was reeling from left to right – right to left because the wind was blowing this way, from the right to the left.
So the ship was going this way, so we try to ba­lance the ship. It’s then on the right side. So when the ship goes like this, we bend to the right side so that we can balance the ship.
As we were doing that, a big wave came, and also strong wind came, hit the ship at the back. So the ship went like this, down.
Again we try – we ma­naged to balance the ship, but then other one (wave) came. Another strong wave come, came and hit the ship. So the ship went down like this, just went like this, and down.
The boys, the men and some of the young boys, the students, we were the first people to jump because we were on the top floor (promenade deck). The ship went down like this to the left, we jump to the right side.
VARITIMOS: So I’d like you to indicate how you could say that, at least in your estimate, there were 500 plus passengers. How would you know that?
TURME: Because the promenade deck and also the upper deck and the cabin deck was really full with people. Like all over, the floor was full. People were sleeping on the floor, and also there’s no space for us to walk. Like the pathway we used to walk – people were sleeping on the pathway also.
And down to the back also, there were people there. Some were hanging outside here, the upper deck, the windows. But they could not stand there because of the waves and strong winds, so they went inside the toilets, men’s toilet, and just stand there.
People were sleeping – they were not stretching their legs because there’s no space, so they were sleeping tightly, squeezed up like this.
VARITIMOS: Well, what you’re saying is there’s a lot of people that were on the vessel.
TURME: Yes.
VARITIMOS: And how many people went to the – that you saw – went to the right side of the vessel (to balance the ship)?
TURME: More than 20.
VARITIMOS: And what happened when the people went to the right, did it do anything?
TURME: Yes, we just stand there and watch the waves and the wind. We look out for the strong wind. So when the waves hit the ship we all bend to the right side and try to balance it. We were just standing and watch the waves.
VARITIMOS: And how long before it sank, approximately, did you move to the right side to try and balance the vessel?
TURME: I think one hour because he woke us at half past five. So we got up and stand there and watch the waves and try to balance the ship. So it took us one hour from half past five to half past six.
VARITIMOS: When you moved to the other side of the vessel did it move back up?
TURME: No diffe­rence.
VARITIMOS: Now we get to the stage where – take us to the stage – where the vessel is about to sink. So the vessel had tilted. You moved to the right. Tell us then, carefully, what happened after that, please.
TURME: Okay. As we were balancing the vessel that strong wave come and hit at the back here …  on the right side. And when it hit, the vessel went down sideways to the left.
VARITIMOS: It went further to the left, did it?
TURME: Yes, it went further down. So we tried our best; we managed to balance it back. So when it was trying to balance it back, another strong wave come – came and hit it the same place here. So when it hit, the vessel went down like this. Just went down here.
VARITIMOS: It turned over.
TURME: Turned over to the left. So when it turned over, we jumped. Those – the boys ­– were standing here, they jump­ed. We all jumped into the water to the right.
We jumped to the right because the vessel went down to the left, so we jumped to the right.
Yes, we managed to swim. When I turned around I saw those life rafts. I think the crews, they have pulled out those life rafts and they were floating on top of the sea.
So we managed to swim to those rafts and we rescued some who were calling for help.
I swim for about five mi­nutes. As I turned around to my back I saw those life raft. Then I swim to one and
I get inside, get into one.
So we started to rescue some of our friends who were calling for help. Some
were screaming, crying and
shouting, so we rescued them into those life raft.
It was less than 10 mi­nutes the ship sank into the water. We turned around, we could not see anything of it, just sank in.
When the vessel went down people were crying and shouting for help, so we tried to rescue some of them, mothers and children.
Some of the children were already floating on top of the sea. They were floating, yes. They were already dead.
We just managed to rescue those ones who were calling for help.
VARITIMOS: Tell me about life jackets. Did you have a life jacket on?
TURME: No.
VARITIMOS: When you – before you boarded the vessel or when you were on the vessel, did any­one give you any instructions or tell you anything about safety on the vessel or where the life jackets were, did anyone tell you?
TURME: No, they didn’t.
VARITIMOS: How  do you know where the life jackets were on the vessel?
TURME: Yes, they were kept in a room, I guess. We were on the promenade deck, quite close to the carpet – carpet area, the life jackets were there in a small room.
VARITIMOS: Do you know whether that door was locked or unlocked?
TURME: It was locked with a padlock.
VARITIMOS: How many people did you see that ended up having life jackets?
TURME: Less than 10.
VARITIMOS: How long were you swimming for until you managed to get into a life raft?
TURME: Just five mi­nutes; took me five mi­nutes.
VARITIMOS: And in the life raft, was there anything in the life raft when you got in there?
TURME: (A) Whistle.
VARITIMOS: And what else was in the life raft, anything else? Was there any food or …?
TURME: No, no food.
VARITIMOS: Any water in the life raft?
TURME: No.
VARITIMOS: How many people were in your life raft, can you remember?
TURME: 17, of them.
VARITIMOS: And can
you remember were they nearly all males or females? Were there children in there?
TURME: No. We were all men.
VARITIMOS: No children?
TURME: No children.