Survivors Describe Three-Hour Swim

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29724, 18 January 1962, Page 15

Survivors Describe Three-Hour Swim

(N-Z -P. A .-Reu ter—Copyng ht) SORONG (Dutch New Guinea), January 17. Survivors of the Indonesian motor torpedo boat sunk on Monday night by two Dutch frigates off the south coast of New Guinea told last night how they leapt from the flaming vessel into the sea to swim around for three hours before being picked up.

Thirty-eight of the survivors were flown by Dutch Royal Air Force transports from the south coast port of Kaimana to Jefman Island, about 10 miles off Sorong, the most northerly New Guinea port. Navy sources said the remaining 12 of 50 survivors were officers and non-com-missioned officers who were flown direct to the West New Guinea capital, Hollandia. Questions Answered One of the survivors, Private Charles Papilaya. aged 36. was being interrogated when reporters arrived at Jefman Island and he was allowed to answer reporters’ questions with a Dutch officer translating. Papilaya said he and 34 other members of his platoon joined the motor torpedo boat Madian Tutal on January 11. It sailed with two other motor torpedo boats to the island of Do'oo, in the Indonesian Aru Islands, about 60 miles due south of Kaimana. They all left Dobo about 5 p.m. on Monday and he thought it was about 10 p.m. when they were intercepted. Answering questions, he said: "There was a fight. They fired on our ship. I do not know who fireo first. O'ir boat caught fire and I jumped into the water. "I was in the water three hours before being picked up." Asked where the torpedo boats had been going, Papilaya said: "We were going to New Guinea. I do not know why. I do not know what we were going to do n New Guinea.’’ Papilaya said he believed his boat’s commanding officer. Lieutenant Suripto, was killed. There had been 50 on board, including 15 crew Another prisoner, Abdullah

Ars, aged 21, said he w-as a seaman electrician secondclass in the regular Navy. He said he was below decks on the Madian Tutal on Monday night when he heard firing. "Ten or 15 minutes later our ship was on fire and I jumped overboard.” Soldiers and Sailors The survivors seemed to be a mixture of sailors and soldiers. They were brought to Jefman Island as taken from the water, some in navy blue overalls and a few in jungle green tunics and trousers. Dutch Navy and marine sources said a Navy Neptune long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft was on patrol from Biak Island and radioed sighting the torpedo boats. One torpedo boat opened fire on the Neptune. The frigates Eversten and Kortenaer closed in on the area and intercepted them about three miles off the coast of Etna Bay. They called on them to stop but the torpedo boats carried on at a speed of about 40 miles an hour. Both frigates opened fire, sinking the Madian Tutul. Sources said they believed from the appearance and apparent training of the captured, that they were members of an infiltration group and not the better trained men expected with an invasion.