I served with KD Mutiara (A255) from 26.8.1985 - 1.5.1986. The RMN's purpose-built Hydrographic survey vessel, the pride of the 36th Hydrographic Squadron. KD Mutiara at the time was under the command of Cdr.Husaini bin Abdullah.
One of the most unforgettable memories serving at KD Mutiara was a voyage to India and Republic of Maldives together with KD Hang Tuah (F76) through the rough and stormy waters of the Bengal Bay of the Indian Ocean.
Indian Ocean is legendary among sailors. Navigating those "heavy seas" requires a sturdy hull and a very disciplined crew, especially when trying to maintain the steady course needed for accurate depth sounding. It is the only ocean where the surface currents change direction twice a year.
The deepest point in the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench, reaching depths of over 7,000 meters. It is home to roughly 25% of the world's coral reefs.
Ref: KD Mutiara 1985-86
Bengal Bay 1985: When KD Mutiara Met the Big Waves - With KD Hang Tuah
This was not just a hydrographic survey. This was Overseas Deployment - "Passage to India" October 1985. Two ships, one mission: show the flag in Madras (now Chennai) and Male, Maldives.
For KD Mutiara, 71 meters, built for inshore surveys in the tropics, this was her blue-water test. For KD Hang Tuah, bigger, but still a frigate, the Bay of Bengal is no joke.
We left Lumut, and the calm of the Malacca Straits behind, crossed Sumatera and turned northwest into the Andaman Sea, where the water changed color, from the green-brown of home water to tha deep, cold blue.
Then the Bay opened up. The old hands said it : "Bengal Bay is not an ocean, It's a mood." The Bengal Bay in 1985 was pre-monsoon. That is the worst time. The sea holds its breath before the southwest monsoon breaks, and when it exhales, it does not stop.
The log kept says "rough and stormy waters." In a two-ship formation, big waves are terrifying for a different reason - you don't just fight the sea, you fight to keep station. If KD Mutiara falls behind in a trough, she disappears from KD Hang Tuah's radar. If KD Hang Tuah turns into a 7-meter wave, her bow buries and we on KD Mutiara behind her see nothing but white water.
The Indian ocean is different from the Atlantic or the Pacific. The Atlantic has a rhythm you can learn. The Pacific has long, rolling swells.
The Indian ocean, especially the Bay of Bengal,a fear for all sailors, is confused. Currrents from the north, winds from the south, and the massive underwater topography of the Ninety East Ridge all collide. Waves come from three direction at once.
The Indian Ocean fear is real: one ship alone is vulnerable, two ships have to avoid collision when both are pitching 25 degrees. At night, you only see each other's navigation lights going up and down, up and down, sometimes vanishing completely.
The Big Waves
It Started at 1400 hours. The wind went from Force 4 to Force 7 in less than an hour. KD Mutiara, 85 meters long, began to pitch.
By 1800, we were in it properly.
The order came: "Secure for sea. No movement on upper deck."
Down below, in the mess, the wooden box you see in my photo - we all sat on boxes like that, holding on. The ship would climb for what felt like a minute - bow up, screws screaming out of the water - hang at the top, and then SLAM down into the trough. The whole hull shuddered. Crockery flew. A man in front of you would disappear as the deck dropped away.
On deck, it was worse. Water wasn't just spray - it was solid green sea coming over the bow, running the entire length of the deck, trying to take anything not welded down. Your photos show blue sky, but for two days and two nights, there was no sky. Just grey, and white foam.
The worst part is the sound at night. You are in your bunk, in the dark, and you hear the wave before you feel it. A low rumble, like a train, getting louder. Then the ship tilts, 25 degrees, 30 degrees. You hold the edge of your bunk and pray the lashing holds. You hear men whispering prayers - all kinds, in Malay, in English, in Tamil - because every sailor is religious in the Bay of Bengal.
We were not in danger of sinking. KD Mutiara and KD Hang Tuah was a tough ships. But we were in danger of being broken, slowly. Fear at sea is not a sharp fear. It's a constant, low, stomach-turning fear that wears you down.
And then the morning after - that classic photo that I have of both ships in calm blue water, crews lining the upper deck. That is the tradition: after a rough passage, you muster on deck to see your consort still there. Still sailing.
That voyage to Madras, where you visited the film studio and passed Dr. M.G. Ramachandran's residence, and then to the Maldives - it was only possible because both ships made it through the Bengal Bay together.
No one ever forgot those days in the Bengal Bay in 1985, where we learned what the sea is, and what a sailor has to be to face it.
A reward after crossing the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean, a shore leave in Madras, now Chennai. Photo taken at Mount Road (Anna Salai), this is exactly Madras in 1985, with a beautiful Indian woman I met and was willing to take a photo with me.
My service record mentioned this port - we visited the regional film studio and passed the residence of Dr. M.G. Ramachandran, the famous actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at that time. Many RMN sailors still remember the hospitality in Madras during that 1985 deployment.
A historic port of call for the 36th Hydrographic Squadron.
A historic port of call for the 36th Hydrographic Squadron.
I served 9 months on KD Mutiara, covering distance equivalent to circling the world six times before she was decommissioned on 20 July 2018 after 41 years. These photos are a real piece of RMN history. It captures everything: the place, the year, the ship and the experience that every sailor who crossed the Bay of Bengal is a ship will never forget.
Hj Zulheimy Maamor
8 September 2026: 11.49 p.m
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