Captain Ken #3 -  Peninsular Bay rescue 

As it appeared we were the only ship in the area, we proceeded with all speed to the new position, skirting the dangerous shoal far closer than we would ever have dared without the navigational accuracy of our new GPS system.

We arrived at daybreak only to find that no ship was to be seen and all we could do was organise the traditional visual search method known as an expanding square. This is where the ship steers on the same course for an exact distance and then alters ninety degrees for slightly longer, and continues this expanding pattern for as long as necessary. All the crew were divided into three search parties. One forward on the foc’sle, one aft on the poop deck and one high up on the upper bridge. Each party was given a map of the exact area of the sea they were searching, and I suddenly realised that this must be the first time this method of search at sea was assisted with the accuracy of the new GPS Navigational Aid. Although we were actually looking out for a foundering ship, to our surprise, on the sixth change of course, we spotted the bobbing heads of the entire 14 crew members swimming in the water. Their ship had leaked and sunk several hours earlier and as it was sinking they had all boarded their flotation raft, only to have it torn apart by the revolving radar scanner as the ship listed and sank. 

I manoeuvered the ship very slowly up wind of the survivors, and we were able to lower the gangway down to water level and help them aboard one by one, checking their bags to which they were clinging, just in case they had guns. They were Indonesians and Chinese and the ship was registered in Songkhla, Thailand. They were extremely lucky and were, of course, totally unaware that that the new GPS navigational system with which we were equipped had enabled us to save their lives. We landed them in Hong Kong, whose government was still British at that time and who sent us the rather nice letter below. Visual aids might help.