NSW Police officers recognised with Australian National Search and Rescue Award after 80-hour mission near Lord Howe Island

Ten officers who faced the dangers of rough swells under the cover of darkness after travelling 36 hours to rescue two men have been recognised for their bravery in Australia’s longest ever offshore retrieval.

Ten officers have been recognised for their bravery in a nearly 80-hour mission after they faced the dangers of rough swells under the cover of darkness to rescue two men on a sailing adventure gone horribly wrong.

Officers from the Marine Area Command were notified about 8am on September 5, 2022, by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Canberra, that an emergency beacon had been activated earlier that morning.

Officers were advised the ‘Aviva’, with two men on board and located approximately 330km east of Lord Howe Island, was damaged and taking on water.

The 14.2m vessel was being sailed from New Zealand to Australia by the men – aged 70 and 74 – when severe weather struck, damaging the sails and electrical equipment.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority initially responded with its Melbourne-based challenger rescue aircraft, along with an Australian Defence Force aircraft and two merchant ships were also redirected by the JRCC to assist.

The vessel had encountered severe weather with 10m seas and high winds resulting in damage and water ingress. Picture: Australian Maritime Safety Authority

After the distance required to travel to the vessel was determined – approximately 595nm or 1100km northeast of Sydney – the NSW Police Force’s vessel ‘Nemesis’, with a crew of 10, was deployed to assist.

After travelling 36-hours, the Nemesis arrived at the yacht just before 11pm on September 6.

Operating in a three metre swell, a tender was launched from Nemesis and the two men were able to be transferred onto the tender and safely retrieved to the rescue boat.

After refuelling at Lord Howe Island, Nemesis and the two men arrived back in Sydney at 3.30pm on September 8.

It was later established that the rescue was the longest offshore retrieval ever completed by a water police unit anywhere in Australia.

More than a year after the mission, the crew of Nemesis was awarded the Australian National Search and Rescue Award in the professional category during a ceremony in Hobart, Tasmania on Thursday.

The Nemesis arrived at the scene at 11pm and rescued the two crew members. Picture: Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Commander of the Marine Area Command, Superintendent Joe McNulty, said it was pleasing to see the crew acknowledged for their efforts and skills.

“This particular rescue was extremely challenging, where the crew were faced with not only a rough swell and darkness but also the very real danger of ropes and cabling from the yacht becoming entangled in the propeller of the tender,” he said.

“I am thrilled that these officers have been recognised with this most prestigious award. My officers constantly train for these types of incidents, and they are professional, highly-competent and work well as a team.

“I know the crew are honoured to receive this award but the biggest reward for them was that they were able to return these two men safely to their families. It really was a job well done.”

The Aviva was unable to be recovered and sunk at sea.