KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — A nearly three-month voyage from Cherbourg, France, to Malaysia in 1973 was not merely a mission to bring home four Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) warships, but a challenging journey that tested the endurance and courage of the 171 personnel involved.
Retired Rear Admiral Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah said that at the age of 22, he and 170 other crew members were entrusted with bringing home the KD Perdana, KD Ganas, KD Ganyang and KD Serang, among the earliest modern offensive warships acquired by the RMN and operated in Southeast Asia.
“As the navigating officer of KD Ganyang, I, together with the other crew members, was entrusted with the major responsibility of bringing these four ships home to Malaysia. For us at the time, it was not merely about bringing the ships home, but about fulfilling the trust placed in us for the sake of the country.
“At the same time, we were excited to return home as, prior to that, we had undergone courses and training in France for between one and more than two years, depending on our respective roles, in preparation for operating the ships,” he told Bernama recently.
The four Perdana-class Combattante vessels were built by Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) in Cherbourg and equipped with various modern weapons systems, including MM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles, which gave the RMN a long-range strike capability.
“We faced various challenges throughout the journey, including rough seas and mechanical breakdowns. But the mission had to continue. We had to ensure that the ships reached home in time for the RMN Day celebrations on July 1 that year,” he said.
The squadron embarked on the approximately 12,000-nautical-mile voyage from Cherbourg on May 5, 1973, but was forced to turn back about six hours later due to bad weather in the Bay of Biscay before resuming the journey the following day.
The original route via the Suez Canal also had to be changed following the canal’s closure due to the Middle East crisis, forcing the squadron to sail around the Cape of Good Hope before crossing the Indian Ocean en route to Malaysia.
He said one of the most challenging moments came when they approached the Cape of Good Hope, where strong winds and huge waves forced the ships to be navigated through minor course adjustments and speed changes to ensure the safety of the vessels and crew.
The voyage also saw KD Perdana suffer a failure in its steering system, while en route to Lourenço Marques, Mozambique, rough seas caused KD Serang’s liferaft to break loose, while KD Perdana sustained the most severe damage to its upper deck.
“Subsequently, while sailing towards Diego Suarez, Madagascar, the squadron encountered rough seas and strong Force 8 to 9 winds (wind speeds of 63 to 87 kilometres per hour), which damaged KD Serang’s liferaft,” he said.
Danyal said the voyage involved 14 port-of-call stops to replenish supplies, including Lisbon, Portugal; Las Palmas, Canary Islands; Dakar, Senegal; Lagos, Nigeria; Mossamedes, Angola; Simon’s Town, South Africa; Lourenço Marques, Mozambique; Diego Suarez, Madagascar; Mahé, Seychelles and Addu Atoll, Maldives.
He said that after overcoming various challenges while crossing the Atlantic and Indian oceans, the most gratifying moment was when the crew spotted Pulau Jarak on the radar as the squadron began entering the Straits of Melaka and docked at Butterworth, Penang.
The squadron subsequently docked at Klang before arriving at the Malaysian Base Jetty in Woodlands, Singapore, on July 1, 1973, to take part in the ship parade held in conjunction with the RMN Day celebrations, thus meeting the target set by the government at the time.
Making the achievement even more special, Danyal said four of the squadron’s crew members were later appointed as navy chiefs, with one of them also going on to become Chief of the Defence Forces (MAF) towards the end of his career.
They were Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Abu Bakar Abdul Jamal, Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Ramly Abu Bakar, Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Ilyas Din and Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor, who also served as Chief of the Defence Forces.
Today, the four vessels, each with a displacement of 234 tonnes and a length of 47 metres, are still in service to safeguard the country’s maritime areas but have been repurposed from missile boats to patrol vessels due to the obsolescence of their systems and equipment.
The story of the voyage is one of the chapters in history that serves as a reminder that sacrifices for the country come in many forms, including the willingness of security personnel to forgo comfort, expend their energy and put their safety at risk to fulfil their duty to the nation.
In conjunction with the 2026 National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations (HKHM), the story of the 171 RMN personnel is a testament to the fact that the peace and sovereignty enjoyed today were built on the courage and sacrifices of earlier generations who placed their duty to the nation above personal interests.
