Endeavour leaves Sydney without four injured crew members

By GREG TOURELLE

SYDNEY - Tears flowed at Sydney's Garden Island naval base today when the New Zealand supply ship HMNZS Endeavour sailed for Singapore, leaving behind four sailors injured in a lifeboat accident last week.

The four, two of whom were wearing braces to support spinal injuries, waved to fellow crew members as the ship left Sydney.

One of the four suffered a fractured veterbrae in the accident and was walking in considerable discomfort this morning. A woman rating was also moving gingerly.

The four were not allowed to speak to the New Zealand media, but the ship's captain, Commander David Hedgley, confirmed they would be returning to New Zealand by air when they were deemed fit to do so by medical authorities.

They are convalescing in the Royal Australian Navy hospital in Sydney.

"I am more than happy with the care they have been given, more than happy that they will make a full and complete recovery and I have an expectation that they will return to the ship once they have..."

The ship is heading to Singapore for a five-nations defence exercise, but it left with a Royal New Zealand Navy court of inquiry into the accident still to finish.

Fifteen of 22 sailors on a lifeboat were injured on August 16 when the hoist holding the lifeboat appeared to snap, plunging it into the sea upside down after crashing against the Endeavour.

"We don't know the cause of the accident at the moment and that is very much what the court of inquiry is still determining," Cmdr Hedgley told reporters before the ship's departure.

He said extra liferafts were taken on board to replace the liferaft which had been damaged "almost beyond economic repair".

He said he was satisfied the ship was safe to sail.

"(The court of inquiry) has made some recommendations for us and we have implemented those recommendations to ensure the ship is safe.

"It is my particular concern as the commanding officer that the ship is safe and I would not be going at 11am (AEST) if I was not happy in all respects."

He said the remaining starboard liferaft had been tested without problems before sailing, with crew aboard it. It had been passed as seaworthy by a Lloyds insurance assessor.

The court of inquiry had asked Cmdr Hedgley to make sure everyone aboard was 100 per cent sure in their use of the ship's safety equipment.

Asked whether he would be holding any of the crew to account for the accident, he said that was not up to him.

"I can't say that because as commanding officer I am particularly involved in the accident myself, and it is not up to me to hold people to account.

"What I will hold my people to account for is their reactions and actions to save members of their ship's company and I am very proud of what they have done."

He said the court of inquiry would make recommendations to the Naval Administrative Authority which would then review all the evidence before coming down with its decision.

Maori crew members performed a whakangahau on board the ship as a gesture of thanks to Australian naval and ambulance personnel who had assisted in the ship's rescue.

"We are actually extremely pleased with the support they have had from everybody in Sydney," Cmdr Hedgley said.

"It's been an extremely tiring time for us, it is a time of trauma, a time where we have seen our shipmates hurt and making a recovery, both physically and mentally."

The Endeavour is due to return to New Zealand in early December.

- NZPA