In the meantime, the antarctic support vessel MV Thala Dan was only twelve hours steaming from the port of Hobart. The Thala Dan was directed to put into Hobart, disembark her passengers and take on a helicopter chartered by the Antarctic Division to assist in the rescue.

The following day, Hobart established direct communications with Macquarie Island and a full medical update on Mr Barker's condition was received. Having fallen from the cliff face, Mr Barker had spent four agonising hours lying on his stomach trying to stop skuas from pecking at his injuries before he was rescued.[1] Grave concerns were held for his well being and it was unclear what the best method of transferring him to Hobart would be, in light of deteriorating weather conditions at Macquarie Island.

On Sunday 7 January a three way communications link was established between Hobart, the Thala Dan, and the Macquarie Island base. Transfer options were discussed with the pilot of Thala Dan's small utility helicopter, Nigel Osborn who, as luck would have it, was an ex-Royal Navy pilot. It was agreed that a makeshift helicopter pad should be constructed onboard Hobart to enable transfer of the patient by air in the event that weather conditions at Macquarie Island were unsuitable for a boat transfer.

Throughout the day, Hobart found herself in rapidly deteriorating weather, with a fifteen foot swell running and the wind registering a constant force seven (28-33 knots). A number of her crew, particularly those who had been seconded for the voyage and who were not accustomed to the pitching and rolling of a DDG, experienced great discomfort as the ship steamed steadily south. In spite of this, the destroyer's shipwrights, engineers and seamen commenced work on the construction of the helicopter pad on the port side of Hobart's quarterdeck, using only the material and expertise available onboard. By the end of the day they had skilfully assembled a stout platform and were reasonably confident that it would be capable of receiving Thala Dan's helicopter should the need arise.

At 0515 on Monday 8 January, Macquarie Island was raised on radar and shortly afterwards Hobart altered her course to pass between the Judges and Clerk Islands as she proceeded to rendezvous with Thala Dan in Buckles Bay. On arrival in Buckles Bay at 0854, Hobart anchored two and a half cables to seaward of Thala Dan where an immediate assessment was made on how best to transfer the injured scientist. Hobart was rolling up to 12 degrees with the wind gusting between 30 and 35 knots, while the choppy sea state was estimated to be between three and four feet in height. Notwithstanding the shelter offered within the bay, it was obvious that it would be much too hazardous to attempt a boat transfer and risk further injury to the patient in such conditions. Thus the decision was made to transfer the patient using Thala Dan's helicopter.

Within half an hour Hobart was closed up at 'flying stations' and Thala Dan's helicopter was called in to attempt a trial landing on the recently constructed helipad. The landing was timed to avoid periods of excessive rolling and at 0930 the helicopter landed safely on board the makeshift structure. With the trial complete attention now turned to the medical evacuation of Mr Barker, which began at 1002 following the passing of a heavy rain squall. Again the helicopter was called in and the transfer was successfully completed in approximately 60 seconds.[2] With the patient and an Antarctic Division medical officer safely on board Hobart, the helicopter returned to Thala Dan with the distinction of being the first aircraft to land on board a Perth class DDG.

Hobart weighed anchor without delay and once clear of the island set course at best speed for the 900-mile voyage to Hobart. Mr Barker handled the rough sea conditions well throughout Monday 8 January and the forenoon of the following day; however, concern over a deterioration in his condition necessitated an increase in speed in spite of the weather. The Derwent River was entered at 2340 on Tuesday 9 January and Hobart berthed alongside Macquarie Wharf at 0115 on Wednesday morning, completing the journey in a record 39 hours. Shortly after berthing, Mr Barker was transferred to a waiting ambulance and taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Throughout the transit from Macquarie Island to Hobart, it was reported that the injured Roger Barker displayed great courage and remained composed in spite of his terrible injuries. He underwent emergency surgery on arrival in hospital at Hobart, which sadly resulted in the amputation of his left leg. It was with deep regret that the crew of Hobart later learned that he lost his fight for life when he succumbed to his injuries in Melbourne on 8 February 1979. [3] As a tribute to Roger Barker, the Barker Channel in the Vestford Hills region of Australian Antarctic Territory was subsequently named in his honour. Search here for Barker Channel on the Australian Antarctic Data Centre website

Hobart's mercy dash in 1979 typifies both the character and compassion of the Australian sailor. Her 'scratch' crew's willingness to put service before self to assist someone in great need, coupled with their ability to improvise in the face of adversity continues to serve as a fine example of naval ingenuity.

Up until that point the only contraption which had captured my imagination was the hovercraft, which I loved, especially Hoverlloyd's red and white beasts.

The Lakonia departed Southampton on December 19, 1963 for an 11-day "Christmas Cruise" of the Canary Islands. Her first scheduled stop was to be the island of Madeira. There were 646 passengers and 376 crewmen on board: a total of 1,022 people. All but 21 of the passengers were British citizens, and the crew members were mostly Greek and German. The captain of the Lakonia was 53-year-old Mathios Zarbis.

Fire alarms sounded, but too softly to be heard by most passengers. "The fire alarm bell was so weak that it sounded like someone calling the waiter to ask for tea," one survivor later told reporters. An alarm went off on the bridge, pinpointing the fire’s location. The ship was about 180 miles north of Madeira

At the time the blaze was discovered, most of the passengers were in the ship's ballroom, called the Lakonia Room, dancing at the "Tropical Tramps' Ball." Passengers began to notice the smell of smoke, but most dismissed it as strong cigar smoke. Captain Zarbis, who had been notified of the fire, attempted to make an announcement on the ship's intercom system, but it had been disabled by the blaze. As smoke began to fill the ballroom at about 11:30, the band stopped playing and cruise director George Herbert ushered the frightened passengers to the boat deck. The upper deck was ablaze within 10 minutes.

Many of the passengers who had been asleep in their cabins found themselves unable to escape the fire. Some passengers were told to go to the main dining room to await instructions, but most ignored this order, since the dining room lay directly in the path of the fire.

At 11:30 p.m., the ship's chief radio officer Antonios Kalogridis sent out the first distress call: "Fire spreading up. Prepare evacuation on ship." At midnight, a second distress call was sent out: "We are leaving the ship. Please immediately give us assistance. Please help us." Kalogridis sent out the last call at 12:22 a.m., just before the wireless room caught fire: "SOS from Lakonia, last time. I cannot stay anymore in the wireless station. We are leaving the ship. Please immediate assistance. Please help."

When all of the boats were away, there were still people adrift in the water and over 100 people left on board the burning ship. The Lakonia continued to burn fiercely and was rocked by violent explosions. Those who remained on board flocked to the glass-enclosed Agora Shopping Center at the stern of the ship. After several hours, the flames closed in on them, and they were forced to descend ropes and rope ladders into the ocean. The port and starboard gangways were lowered as well, and people walked down the gangways single file into the sea.

At 3:30 a.m., four hours after the first distress call, the 495-foot (151 m) Argentine passenger ship Salta arrived on the scene. The Salta, under the command of Captain José Barrere, had been on its way from Genoa, Italy to Buenos Aires. The 440-foot (130 m) British tanker Montcalm arrived half an hour later at 4:00 a.m. The majority of the survivors were saved by these two ships. The Salta rescued 475 people and took aboard most of Lakonia's lifeboats.

In the hours that followed, the Belgian ship Charlesville, the Brazilian freighter Rio Grande, the British passenger ship Stratheden and the Panamanian freighter Mehdi all arrived to take part in the rescue. Each of the rescue vessels dispatched boats to pluck survivors from the water. Also, four United States Air Force C-54 planes were sent from the Lajes Air Base in the Azores. The planes dropped flares, lifejackets, life rafts and survival kits to people in the water.

Rescue efforts were hindered by the fact that the Lakonia drifted for several miles during the evacuation. People in the water were dispersed over a 2 – 3-mile (4.8 km) area. Also, rescue ships were reluctant to get too near the Lakonia; there was a constant risk that the ship's 500 tons of fuel oil would explode.

Most of the survivors were transported to Madeira, while others, including Captain Zarbis, were taken to Casablanca.

A total of 128 people died in the Lakonia disaster, of which 95 were passengers and 33 were crew members.

Crewmen from the British aircraft carrier HMS Centaur were able to board the Lakonia on December 24, once the flames had died down. Most of the bodies were recovered by the crew of the Centaur. By this time, the Lakonia was a charred, smoking hulk. Her superstructure had partially collapsed amidships, and the bridge and aft decks had caved in. There were holes blasted near the bow, and the ship was listing 10 degrees to starboard.