berakhirnya riwayat KD Seri Inderapura - English translation follows.

I have just received this from one of our Friends in the Navy...It is in Bahasa - can someone please translate. For now read this and share with others !

Dear brother,

If you think the contents of this email are nothing more than rubbish, please ignore. I do not know how to write in English, so I write in Malay. If you think like what my thoughts are, you can translate and edit the contents and publish it in your very popular blog. Perhaps you could open up the sleepy eyes of zahid hamidi and company.

berakhirnya riwayat KD Seri Inderapura

Terkejut. Terperanjat.

Bukan terkejut kerana kapal itu terbakar. Kebakaran di atas kapal memang perkara biasa.

Terkejut kerana ia memakan masa lapan jam sebelum kebakaran dapat dikawal sepenuhnya. Terkejut kerana kejadian berlaku di atas kapal tentera laut dimana latihan memadam kebakaran adalah satu kemestian yang diamalkan setiap hari.

Terperanjat kerana tahap kemusnahan membuatkan kapal tersebut dikategorikan dalam keadaan ‘beyond economical repair’ (B.E.R.)

KD Rahmat, kapal frigate ’state of the art’ (ketika itu) yang ditempah khusus oleh kerajaan Malaysia dipertengahan dekad enam puluhan dengan nama asalnya KD Hang Jebat kerap juga mengalami keadaan serupa. Bermacam jenis kebakaran berlaku semasa sedang dalam pembinaan mahupun setelah diserahkan kepada TLDM. Namun ia tidak seteruk yang menimpa KD Seri Inderapura.

Kalau dicatit insiden-insiden kebakaran di KD Rahmat, rekod kapal ini tidak mungkin dapat diatasi oleh kapal-kapal TLDM yang lain.

Sekembali ke tanah air setelah lebih tiga tahun terlewat dari jadual, KD Rahmat lebih banyak menghabiskan masa bertambat di Malaysian Base Jetty (MBJ) Woodlands. Semasa bertugas dari tahun 1976 hingga 1977, cuma lebih kurang sebulan ia berada di laut, belayar meredah Laut Cina Selatan untuk dipertontonkan di perairan Sabah dan Sarawak, dibuka kepada orang awam di tambatan Rejang, Labuan dan Tawau.

Seingatnya, tiga kebakaran berlaku ditahun itu yang melibatkan ’generator, switchboard dan engine turbine’. Namun kebakaran-kebakaran itu tidak mengambil masa lama untuk dikawal. 

Bekas anggota TLDM pra Lumut tentu masih ingat betapa setiap petang, latihan atau ‘drill’ memadam kebakaran adalah kemestian dalam tugas harian. Di pangkalan TLDM KD Malaya di Woodlands dulu, setiap jam 5 petang, pegawai bertugas hari itu atau ‘officer of the day’ (O.O.D.) akan mengarahkan laskar-laskar bertugas yang berkumpul di hadapan ibu pejabat bomba berhampiran ‘main gate’, kesesuatu tempat dalam masa yang ditentukan. Sekiranya gagal menepati sasaran masa, O.O.D. akan mengarahkan ianya diulang. Dan diulang sehingga berjaya.

Sampai ke tempat yang diarahkan dalam masa tertentu tidak bererti latihan untuk petang itu sudah selesai. Dua atau tiga gulung hose yang disambung ke pili bomba mesti dapat menyalurkan air ke ‘nozzle’ di hujung hose. Begitulah telitinya latihan yang dipusakai dari Royal Navy.

Latihan yang sama juga dipraktikkan di kapal. 

Nama-nama seperti Lt Ooi yang lebih di kenali sebagai ‘zero zero one’, Lt Teoh dari RMNVR dan Lt Khusaini adalah sebahagian dari kelompok O.O.D. yang digeruni kerana ketegasan dan ketelitian mereka. Pegawai-pegawai tersebut tidak pernah berkompromi. Mungkin mereka juga tidak pernah mengidamkan sanjungan negatif “…O.O.D. ni ok. Dia cincai aje…”. Atau mereka cukup arif bahawa dalam menangani kebakaran, setiap saat adalah kritikal. Ketangkasan ‘fire fighters’ dapat meminimakan tahap kemusnahan.

Masih wujudkah lagi pegawai-pegawai sedemikian. Atau masih diamalkan lagikah latihan-latihan yang mengutamakan ketangkasan. Atau yang tinggal kini cuma latihan-latihan sekadar melepas batuk di tangga.

Mungkin itukah sebabnya kenapa ‘epitaph’ KD Rahmat berbeza dengan KD Seri Inderapura?

Lazimnya, setiap ‘compartment’ kapal memiliki alat pemadam api mudah alih. Walaupun keberkesanan alat-alat sedemikian terbatas namun ia boleh dimunafaatkan oleh ’crew’ yang cekap dan terlatih. Pun begitu, sekiranya api sudah marak, ’crew’ yang cekap dan terlatih akan dapat menguasai tekanan, berfikir secara rasional dan bertindak sewajarnya.

Bertindak sewajarnya…di tempat-tempat stratejik di ‘passage way’ tersedia gulungan hose pemadam api yang menggunakan air laut. Sekiranya alat penyedut dapat berfungsi dengan baik, tidak timbul masalah untuk ‘water pump’ menyalurkan air kedalam hos.

 Sekiranya. Dan sekiranya faktor maanusia dan jentera dapt beroperasi sewajarnya, riwayat KD Seri Inderpura tidak berakhir sedemikian.

Persoalannya…dapatkah ‘water pump’ atau motor ini berfungsi sebaiknya ketika diperlukan. Mereka yang arif dengan sikap dan tahap senggaraan orang-orang Malaysia, persoalan ini menimbulkan seribu tanda tanya.

Apakah kita akan terperanjat sekiranya jawapan mendukacitakan.

Ataupun jawapannya juga sudah pun ditalkinkan bersama penyemadian KD Seri Inderapura.

Malaysia boleh kan. Semuanya boleh disapu ke bawah tikar.


English translation:

The demise of KD Seri Inderapura

Surprised? Shocked?

No I am not surprised because a ship sustained fire damage. Fire on board is indeed a normal thing. What I am surprised at is that it took a time-consuming eight-hours before the fire was brought under control! Eight hours! Surprised because the ability to fight and control any fire on board a Navy Vessel is ingrained and drummed into sailors on a daily basis. And I am shocked that despite this the destruction of KD Inderapura is so severe that the ship is categorized as  ‘beyond economical repair' (BER.)

KD Rahmat, a ’state of the art' (then) frigate tailor-made specifically by the Malaysian government in the mid sixties (originally the KD Hang Jebat) frequently also experienced the same problems. A number of fires occurred while it was still under construction and even after it was handed over to RMN. However it is not as bad as that which befell KD Seri Inderapura.

If fact the fire incidents on KD Rahmat is the highest amongst all ships within the RMN.

KD Rahmat was completed three years later then scheduled. In fact KD Rahmat spend more time berthed at the Malaysian Base Jetty (MBJ) Woodlands then going on maneuvers. During 1976 to 1977, KD Rahmat spent only about one month at sea, sailing through the South Chinese Sea in Sabah waters and Sarawak. It was also open to the  public in Rejang, Labuan and Tawau.

If my memory serves me right three fires occurred in that year which involved the generator, switchboard and the engine turbine. However these fires were brought under control within a very short time because of the ability of its crew to handle the emergency situations.

TLDM personnel from Lumut can surely still remember how every evening, training or ‘drill' fire fighting is done on a daily basis. In KD TLDM base Malaya in Woodlands at 5 o'clock in the afternoon the duty  ‘officer of the day' (OOD) will direct lascar work while all gathered before the nearby fire-brigade office. If you failed to meet the target time, OOD will direct it to be done again. And again. And repeated until done right!

This fire fighting drill is drummed into us on a daily basis because our ability to do this drill well will determine the safety of our Navy Vessels and the lives of its crew.

Fire fighting drill training was also practiced on board our vessels. Names such as Lt Ooi more known as  ‘zero zero one', Lt Teoh from RMNVR and Lt Khusaini are some of those OOD who were much revered and respected for their firmness and insistence that these drills must be done the correct way. These officers do not compromise on any aspect of the training.  There will not accept that “this …OOD ok. He slipshod aje…”. They understood that in fighting a fire on board a vessel every second is critical. The better the ‘fire fighters’ the better their ability to minimize destruction level.

Are there still Officers of this caliber in the Navy? Or are these Fire Fighting” drills being practiced purely as a routine exercise without drumming into the trainees the critical aspect of their work – that time was critical in saving a Ship and lives? That their prowess as fire fighters will make the difference between saving a ship or will mean its destruction? It would seem that these exercises are now being carried out without the dedication and commitment present during the time of those officers that I have mentioned before.

Maybe that was the difference between KD Rahmat and  KD Seri Inderapura?

Usually, each ‘compartment' in a ship will have its own portable fire extinguisher tool. The effectiveness of these fire extinguisher tools will depend on the ability of its fire fighters to do their work. A well-trained crew will be able to do their work in a control and rational way and will be able to bring a fire under control in the shortest possible time.

If the ‘fire fighters’ within KD Seri Inderapura were able to effectively use these fire extinguisher tools placed in their strategic ‘passage way’ and use the available roll hose fire extinguisher which uses sea water – then with these fire fighting tools and well drilled fire fighters – KD Seri Inderapura would still be with us today.

The question today is were the ‘fire fighter’ within KD Seri Inderapura adequately trained? Why did it take eight hours for the fire on board to be brought under control? Were the water pump and the motors working when needed? Were the maintenance level and attitude of the personals on board KD Seri Inderapura wanting in their ability to meet an emergency situation as the one that occurred and resulted in its demise?

These are the questions that the Navy needs to answer or has it been answered with the demise of KD Seri Inderapura?

Answers are needed here and this matter should not be swept under the carpet again.