RSS Courageous
Encyclopedia
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
(RSN). The ship was commissioned in 1996. She was involved in a collision on 3 January 2003 with a merchant vessel ANL
Australian National Lines
The Australian National Line was an Australian Government owned overseas and coastal shipping line that operated in Australia between 1956 and 1998, when the container shipping operations and naming rights were bought by French shipping line CMA CGM....
Indonesia off Horsburgh Lighthouse
Horsburgh lighthouse
The Horsburgh Lighthouse is a lighthouse which marks the eastern entrance to the Straits of Singapore. It is situated on Pedra Branca island...
(Pedra Branca
Pedra Branca
Pedra Branca is an outlying island and also the easternmost point of Singapore. The name means "white rock" in Portuguese, and refers to whitish guano deposited on the rock. The island consists of a small outcrop of granite rocks with an area of about...
) which resulted in the death of four female RSN sailors.
Synopsis of Incident
The RSS Courageous was on patrol off the waters of Pedra BrancaPedra Branca
Pedra Branca is an outlying island and also the easternmost point of Singapore. The name means "white rock" in Portuguese, and refers to whitish guano deposited on the rock. The island consists of a small outcrop of granite rocks with an area of about...
on 3 January 2003 and was travelling on the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme when she made a turn against the flow of shipping at 2325 hrs local time. A collision with ANL Indonesia subsequently took place at 2335 hrs.
A large-scale search-and-rescue operation was conducted 3–15 January by the Republic of Singapore Navy
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
, the Police Coast Guard
Police Coast Guard
The Police Coast Guard is the Marine Police division of the Singapore Police Force which also takes on roles of the coast guard typically handled by the military or as separate organisations in other countries...
and Police and naval units from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Four female sailors were at the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
of the patrol vessel in their sleeping quarters, believed to have been asleep. The ANL Indonesia was sailing to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
when her bow struck the RSS Courageous's rear and sheared off the stern. The sailors were believed to have been killed instantly, and two of their bodies sank into the sea as the merchant ship backed away from the stern of the patrol vessel. Divers later recovered the body of CPL Goh Hui Ling lodged between the bunk
Bunk bed
A bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another. The nature of bunk beds allows two people to sleep in the same room while maximizing available floor space...
s after the vessel was put in dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
at Changi Naval Base
Changi Naval Base
Changi Naval Base is the latest naval facility of the Republic of Singapore Navy and was built to replace Brani Naval Base. Located about 1.5 kilometres east of Changi Air Base and 3.5 kilometres east of Singapore Changi Airport, the base was built on 1.28 km² of reclaimed land, it was...
. The bodies of 1SG Heng Sock Ling and 1SG Seah Ai Leng washed up on the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n resort of Pulau Bintan
Bintan
Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia. It is part of the Riau Islands province, the capital of which, Tanjung Pinang, lies in the island's south and is the island's main community....
and Sebong, north-west of Pulau Bintan
Bintan
Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia. It is part of the Riau Islands province, the capital of which, Tanjung Pinang, lies in the island's south and is the island's main community....
on the 5 January 2003.
The body of 2SG Chua Bee Lin was never found. Her body was originally believed to been lodged in the stern of the patrol boat which broke off following the collision and sank on the seabed. A salvage team from Smit International
Smit International
Smit Internationale N.V. is a Dutch company operating in the maritime sector. The company was founded in 1842 by Fop Smit as a towage company with only the 140 hp paddle steamer tug 'Kinderdijk'....
successfully lifted the wreckage on 14 January 2003 but her body was not found.
Aftermath
In the investigation report released on 4 April 2003 by the Maritime and Port Authority of SingaporeMaritime and Port Authority of Singapore
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Singapore Government.-History:The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore was established on 2 February 1996 by the MPA Act of...
, it was revealed that RSS Courageous was under the immediate control of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Chua Chue Teng, 23 who was a trainee Officer Of The Watch
Officer of the Deck
Officer of the deck is a position in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard that confers certain authority and responsibility. The officer of the deck on a ship is the direct representative of the captain, having responsibility for the ship.-Overview:In port, the OOD is stationed on...
and was supervised by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Ng Keng Yong, 27 at the time of the incident.
The findings of the investigations concluded 3 key errors of judgment that resulted in the collision:
- The initial alteration of course against the flow of shipping which technically contravened rule 10(b)(i) of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at SeaInternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at SeaThe International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 are published by the International Maritime Organization , and set out, inter alia, the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea in order to prevent collisions between two or more...
and increased the risk of collision. - The decision to cross the bow of ANL Indonesia by RSS Courageous which contravened Rule 14 (a) of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at SeaInternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at SeaThe International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 are published by the International Maritime Organization , and set out, inter alia, the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea in order to prevent collisions between two or more...
. - The subsequent minor alternations of course to port by RSS Courageous which was unclear to ANL Indonesia.
The two officers were subsequently charged in court under Section 304A Penal Code, for causing death by a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide and were found guilty and fined SGD$4,700 and SGD$8,000 by District Judge Tan Boon Gin. An appeal was lodged at the High Court of Singapore but was dismissed by Chief Justice Yong Pung How
Yong Pung How
Yong Pung How, DUT . He was the former Chief Justice of Singapore, serving from 1990 to 2006. Prior to his judicial career, he was a lawyer, banker and senior government official...
in 13 August 2004.
Six officers from the Singapore Police Coast Guard
Police Coast Guard
The Police Coast Guard is the Marine Police division of the Singapore Police Force which also takes on roles of the coast guard typically handled by the military or as separate organisations in other countries...
's PH50 Hammerhead Shark coastal patrol craft were awarded the Police Medal of Valour at the National Day
National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...
Awards Investiture on 5 November 2003 along with the Minister for Home Affairs Awards for Operational Excellence, a team award for all 39 officers on 3 April 2003.
Casualties
Dead- 1st SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Seah Ai Leng - 1st SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Heng Sock Ling - CorporalCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Goh Hui Ling
Missing (Presumed Dead)
- 2nd SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Chua Bee Lin