Tampomas II
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Tampomas II on fire in 1981
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History | |
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Name |
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Owner |
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Builder | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Shimonoseki, Japan |
Launched | 20 August 1971 |
Identification | IMO number: 7118428 |
Fate | Caught fire 25 January 1981 and later sank |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | RORO car and passenger ferry |
Tonnage | 6153gt |
Length | 128.6 m (421 ft 11 in) |
Beam | 22.0 m (72 ft 2 in) |
Propulsion | 2 x diesel engines |
Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
KMP Tampomas II
Overview
Tampomas II, originally named Central No.6, was produced in 1971 by
The ship was purchased by PT. PANN (Pengembangan Armada Niaga Nasional or National Commercial Fleet Development) from Comodo Marine Co. SA,
However, despite the substandard maintenance, the maiden voyage of Tampomas II was set for 2 June through 13 June 1980. A number of journalists and members of the House of Representatives were invited to join the voyage. On this cruise, several members of the House had witnessed and also had questions about the engine that had broken down several times during the trip. A Member of Parliament from the PDI party, Ahmad Soebagyo, mentioned various irregularities during the cruise, including the ship was circling in the same radius due to the malfunctioning of its engine automatic regulator buttons and the cancellation of a show event on the ship due to a prolonged electrical failure. According to a reporter, the engine broke down six times during the voyage.
The disaster
Tampomas II departed from Tanjung Priok harbor on Saturday, 24 January 1981, at 07:00, and was estimated to arrive in Ujung Pandang on Monday, January 26, 1981, at 22:00 local time. A pilot skipper mentioned that one of the ship's engines had broken down before its departure.
The ship was carrying dozens of motor vehicles, including a SAKAI steam roller, Vespa scooters, etc., which were parked on the car deck. The manifest mentioned 200 motor cars, 1,055 registered passengers and 82 crew members on board. The estimated total passengers, including stowaways, was 1442.
Around 20:00 on 25 January, at 114°25'60"E, 5°30'0"S, near the
The first ship to conduct a rescue mission was the KM Sangihe, skippered by Captain Agus K. Sumirat. Sumirat had been Abdul Rivai's classmate in the class of 1959 when they were studying at Academy Ilmu Pelayaran (Maritime Academy). Sangihe was travelling from Pare-pare to Surabaya for engine repairs. Sangihe's first deck officer, J. Bilalu, was the first to see a puff of smoke to the west and thought the smoke was coming from Pertamina's offshore oil rig. Sangihe's wireless operator, Abu Akbar, sent an SOS message at 08:15. KM Ilmamui joined the rescue effort at 21:00, followed four hours later by the tanker Istana VI and other ships, including Adhiguna Karunia and PT. Porodisa Line's KM Sengata.
In the morning of 26 January, the Java Sea was hit by torrential rain. The fire began to spread to the engine room, where there was unisolated fuel. As a result, in the morning of 27 January, there was an explosion in the engine room which created an entrance for the sea water to fill the compartments. The generator and the propeller room filled with seawater, which resulted in the ship developing a 45° list.
Finally, at 12:45 on 27 January (about 30 hours after the first spark), the ship sank to the bottom of the Java Sea, along with 288 people still occupying the lower decks.
Captain Abdul Rival was the last to leave the ship; he sent a message to the skipper of Sangihe, "Please send me water and food, because I am going to stay on the ship until the last minute". The message was conveyed through Bakaila, a crew member who successfully crossed over to Sangihe. But the request was not fulfilled by Sumirat.
Victims
Early reports were that 757 people had been rescued and 439 died (143 recovered bodies and 294 missing), totalling 1196, in excess of the 1137 officially on board.[2] However, the loss of life was likely to have been much higher (666 was suggested), due to the sale of unauthorised tickets as well as stowaways.[3][4]
Investigation
The Minister of Transportation, Roesmin Nurjadin, in his explanation to the press, said that an abnormal thing happened in the engine room. The disorder occurred in the vehicle deck space, especially on a two-wheeled vehicle located in the rear, when a shock wave from the sea that was strong enough to raise sparks and allow a fire to spread. Machinist Wishardi Hamzah said that Tampomas II did not have a smoke detection system. An investigation was opened in January 1981 by the Jakarta Harbourmaster.[5]
The investigation, led by Attorney Bob Rush Efendi Nasution, did not provide meaningful results, because all errors were blamed on the crew. There is an impression that this case was intentionally covered up by the government at that time, although many in parliament demand a more serious investigation.[citation needed]
Response
In a TV broadcast on 29 January, the Governor of South Sulawesi Andi Oddang declared three days of mourning and instructed the populace to lower flags to half-mast.[6]
In popular culture
- Iwan Fals created a song about the sinking entitled "Celoteh Camar Tolol dan Cemar" ("Babble Seagull Fools and Blackened")[7]
- Ebiet G. Ade created a song about the sinking entitled "Sebuah Tragedi 1981" ("A 1981 Tragedy"), found on the album "Langkah Berikutnya ("Next Step"), which was published in 1982[7]
See also
Notes
- ^ KMP is the Indonesian acronym for Kapal Motor Penumpang or "Motor Passenger Vessel"
References
- ^ "Single Ship Report for "7118428"". Miramar Ship Index (subscription). Wellington, New Zealand: R. B. Haworth. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ "70 Tampomas survivors found on island". Canberra Times. No. 16566. AAP-AP. 3 February 1981. p. 5. Retrieved 16 November 2022 – via Trove.
- ^ "Inquiry demanded into lost ferry". The Times. No. 60839. London. 30 January 1981. p. 7. Retrieved 16 November 2022 – via Gale.
- ^ "Tampomas II: Remembering Indonesia's deadly ferry sinking". Safety4Sea. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ Marshall Ingwerson (28 January 1981). "Sinking of Indonesian ocean liner puts new focus on ship safety reforms". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ FM/MM/PAM (31 January 1981). "Untuk Mengenang Korban Tampomas II: Rakyat Sulsel Berkabung Selama Tiga Hari". Kompas. p. 1. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
Tanggal 29 Januari melalui siaran TV Ujungpandang, Gubernur Sulawesi Selatan Andi Oddang menyerukan kepada seluruh rakyat Sulsel menaikkan bendera setengah tiang, sebagai tanda berkabung Pemda dan rakyat Sulsel atas musibah Tampomas II. Pengibaran bendera tersebut selama
- ^ a b Asriat Ginter (2007). Musisiku. Reuters. p. 286. GGKEY: 6YZ5LLBTK8Q. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
External links
- (in Indonesian) 27 January 1981 Masalembo sea "Burned Tampomas II"
- (in Indonesian) Sinking Ship Tampomas II
- (in Indonesian) KMP tragedy Tampomas II 31 Years Ago Today in Masalembo
- (in Indonesian) Mystery Masalembo Triangle, Triangle Bermudanya Indonesia
- (in Indonesian) - Those 40 Hours in the Middle of the Sea, Tempo Magazine
- (in Indonesian) - In the Lifeboats wireless operator, Tempo Magazine
- (in Indonesian) - Used Boats Anatomy, Tempo Magazine
- (in Indonesian) - Rival, or A Responsibility, Tempo Magazine