It has been 50 years since the Blythe Star sank in Australia's unforgiving southern waters. Now, survivor Mick Doleman is telling the full story of how the crew lasted nearly two weeks in hostile seas, and helping give a voice to those who didn't return.
The 44-metre-long steel coastal freighter was on a two-night voyage heading towards King Island off the north-west coast of Tasmania.He knew it was a race against time to get a life raft free, otherwise no-one was going to survive.
"When I did go out with Mick, I realised that he might be rough around the edges, but he was fun and he always makes you laugh," she says. Other crew members had already woken, including the cook Alf Simpson and World War II veteran Cliff Langford.Loading...The crew knew if they ended up in the cold water with nothing, they wouldn't have much hope of survival.
Mick Doleman asked the captain, George Cruikshank, if they had portable radios, did they get a mayday out, or did anybody know where they were going — the answer for all three questions was no. It was cold and the crew shared the few clothes they had as Alf organised the raft's rations, which weren't much to write home about.)
The men decided to give John a seafarer's burial, slipping his body over the side of the raft and into the sea."One night all of us had a madness; I don't know what it was, but we had our tins of water and we opened them all and drank them," Mick says.There was no water left, they had drifted all the way around the southern tip of Tasmania, and only nine men remained.
"When I opened it up, I just said, 'It's a birthday card from Dad', and here's this card and it's funny, it's got little kittens and bunny rabbits on it.Alf had posted the card the day he sailed from Hobart. Young journalist Trevor Sutton had landed a story like no other, but getting any information was proving difficult.
Back on land, Joanie spent most of her days in Mick's family living room which was usually packed with friends all holding onto hope.Nine days after sinking, the remaining crew washed into Deep Glen Bay, an austere place surrounded by vertical rock faces. While Mick tried to comprehend what had happened, he spotted chief engineer John Eagles near the water … he too had passed.
That half-hour Rod spent looking for the radiator cap was the difference to saving the seven remaining crew.He took the men into the little country town of Dunalley, straight to the police station, but no-one was there so they tried the post office.An ambulance came for the men as Rod headed back to town in his truck.The day before Alf Simpson's memorial, his daughter Robyn left school early.
For the families of the three men who died, a years-long battle for compensation began, fighting the Transport Commission for a fair sum for what their lives were worth.
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