Showing posts with label TLDM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TLDM. Show all posts

Sunday, 30 August 2026

ROYAL MALAYSIAN NAVY : MY SEA SERVICES (1981-1991)



KD GANAS (P3503)
1st Squadron, Fast Attack Craft (Missile)
Woodlands, Singapore (1981)
3.2.1981 - 27.7.1981
After completing my Basic Radio Communication course at KD Pelandok in Lumut, Perak, I was assigned to KD Ganas, based in Woodlands, Singapore from 3 February 1981 till 27 July 1981. 
KD Ganas was a Perdana-class Fast Attack Craft (Missile) equipped with the Exocet MM 38 Missile system. It was commissioned on 20 March 1973 in Cherboug, France alonside with 3 other sister ships in the 1st Squadron : KD Perdana (P3501), KD Serang (P3502) and KD Ganyang (P3504). 
The first Commanding Officer of KD Ganas was Cdr. Muhammad Yasin bin Hj Salleh. During my deployment, the Commanding Officer was Lt.Cdr. Abdul Rashid Md Isa TLDM N/400438. 
The most unforgettable memory during my 6-month On-Job-Training occured in July 1981 during the holy month of Ramadan. KD Ganas participated in live-fire missile firing exercise in the Singapore Straits, successfully targeting and sinking the decommissioned vessel ex-KD Ledang. 

All photo of my services at KD Ganas, click the link KD Ganas below. 
http://zulheimymaamor.blogspot.com/2012/06/kd-ganas-1981.html


KD RAJA JAROM (A1502)
32nd Sealift Squadron
Woodlands, Singapore
28.7.1981 - 28.6.1982
After spending 6 months onboard KD Ganas, I was transferred to KD Raja Jarom on 28 July 1981, which was undergoing refitting at the Malaysian Shipyard & Engineering at Pasir Gudang, Johor.
The Commanding Officer during my deployment was  Cdr. Zainal Dali and the Executive Officer was Lt.Cdr. Zainal Talib. 
KD Raja Jarom was a former U.S Navy LST-542 class Landing Ship Tank named USS Seggewick County (LST-1123). It saw active duty during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam war. 
The ship was transferred to Malaysia in 1976 and officially commisioned on 19 February 1977. It sailed back from San Francisco Bay via Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 
KD Raja Jarom was of the 32nd Sealift Squadron together with KD Sri Langkawi (A1500) and KD Sri Bangi (A1501). 

Operations , Mission & Incident
  • OPS Terumbu - Layang-Layang Island : KD Raja Jarom was actively involved in transporting structural construction equipment to Terumbu Layang-Layang (Swallow Reef) in the disputed Spratly Islands region off Sabah. Refer: KD Raja Jarom & The Swallow Reef (1982). 
  • Ancient Cannon of Pulau Aur: the ship executed a special mission assigend by the Sultan of Johor to retrieve ancient historical cannons from Pulau Aur, loated roughly 35 nautical miles of Mersing, Johor. 
  • National Day Parade (1981) : Several of our crew members represented the Southern Zone of the RMN at the 1981 National Day Parade at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. 
  • The Buffalo Rock collision:  at 19 December 1982, KD Raja Jarom collided with a Japanese Tanker named Syoru Maru at Buffalo Rock in the Singapore Strait. The tragic incident claimed the live of 3 crew members whom I knew personally. Refer: The History and Mystery of KD Raja Jarom (A1502).
KD Raja Jarom was decommissioned on 9 September 1999. 
Ref: 
  1. Zulheimy Maamor : KD Raja Jarom (photo available of my services onboard the ship)
  2. Zulheimy Maamor: Pelanggaran KD Raja Jarom dan Misteri Meriam Purba Pulau Aur.


KD SRI REJANG
(Riverine Craft)
Sibu, Sarawak
28.3.1983 - 24.11.1984
My historical memoir, the text outlines of my service at KD Sri Rejang in Sibu, Sarawak from 28 March 1983 till 24 November 1984, detailed alongside the strategic operational role of the base within the Rajang Area Security Command (RASCOM) in fighting communist insurgent in Sarawak. 
The commanding Officer during my deployment at KD Sri Rejang was Cdr. Tajuddin bin Yahya and later Cdr. Ahmad Kamal. 
Operating as a specialised Riverine Forces (Brown Water Navy), the crew navigated muddy interior of Rejang River to transport infantry units (RAMD, RRD, Commandos and PPH), the Sarawak Border Scouts and heavy artillery. The base utilised 3 main types or riverine craft : 
  1. Riverine Craft Personnel (RCP): high-speed combat river craft heavily armed with 20mm Oerlinkon cannons, heavy SLR L2A1 rifles and light machine guns. 
  2. Landing Craft Personnel (LCP): used for deploying troops directly onto remote riverbanks.
  3. Landing Craft Merchanised (LCM): utilised for transporting logistics across the Rajang River network. 
Among the historic incidents during my deployment, was the RCP Gas leaking Explosion in November 1983, injuring 2 crew members and the Sinking of KD Sri Perak on 8 January 1984. KD Hang Tuah and KD Sri Trengganu (the remaining vessels) were forced to shelter at KD Sri Rejang Sri Igan Jetty, while the Riverine Craft crews went on high alert. 

Refences:

KD PENDEKAR
2nd Squadron,Fast Attack Craft (Missile)
MSE, Pasir Gudang, Johor
25.11.1984 - 5.1.1985.
My shortest service among the RMN Ships was KD Pendekar, in which I only served on for 1 month, 11 days onboard. The ship was under maintenance at Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering at Pasir Gudang, Johor. 
KD Pendekar was under the 2nd Squadron, Fast Attack Craft (Missile), comprised of 4 ships : KD Handalan, KD Perkasa, KD Pendekar and KD Gempita. This squadron often referred to 'Spica-M). 
Built by the Karlskronavarvet AB shipyard in Sweden. Construction began in 1976 and was completed in 1979. It was officially commisioned on 21 August 1979. The first Commanding Officer was Major (Navy) Ng Chin Phing. 
During my short stint on this ship, it was under the command of Lt.Cdr Mazlan bin Ahmad TLDM N/400474. 
I served for just a month before my named was selected for the Advanced Promotion Course (Kursus Laskar Kanan KMR) at KD Pelandok, meaning that KD Pendekar was the only ship that I had never got chance to actually sail with. 
Reference: Zulheimy Maamor : KD Pendekar


KD MUTIARA
36th Hydrographic Squadron
Lumut, Perak
26.8.1985 - 1.5.1986
I was drafted to KD Mutiara, 36th Hydrographic Squadron based at Lumut, Perak after completing the Leading Hand Communication course at KD Pelandok. 
KD Mutiara, a survey Ship of RMN, was built in Penang by Hong Leong Lurssen Dockyard and entered RMN service on 18 December 1977, under pennant number A 255. 
The ship conducted hydrographic surveys, meteorological observations and oceanographic research to produce 50 essentials nautical charts for safe sea navigation. 
I served onboard KD Mutiara for exactly 9 months. The Commanding Officer during my deployment was Cdr. Husaini Bin Abdullah TLDM N/4000355. 
Unforgettable memories serving at KD Mutiara a voyage to India and Republic of Maldives together witjh KD Hang Tuah (F76) through the rough and stormy waters of the Bengal Bay at Indian Ocean. 

The 1985 Overseas Voyage
  • The Journey: KD Mutiara sailed alongside KD Hang Tuah (F76) to India and Republic of Maldives, through the rough and stormy waters of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
  • Maldives: Visited the coral archipelago country, highlighting local Islamic historical landmarks like the Al-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Azam Mosque.
  • India: Docked at the port of Madras (now Chennai). The crew visited a regional film studio and passed by the residence of the famous actor and then-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. M.G. Ramachandran.

I was drafted to Ministry of Defence at Kuala Lumpur on 2 May 1986, but only served for 4 months. 
Final Salute: After 41 years of service and covering a distance equivalent to sailing around the world six times, KD Mutiara was officially decommissioned on July 20, 2018. The ceremony was overseen by Navy Chief Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman.

References:

KD GANYANG
1st Squadron Fast Attack Craft (Missile)
Lumut, Perak
8.9.1986 - 29.3.1987
After service only 4 months at Ministry of Defence at Kuala Lumpur, I was sent back for a duty onboard a ship, this time KD Ganyang, from the 1st Squadron, Fast Attack Craft (Missile) base at Lumut, Perak. 
I served onboard KD Ganyang from 8 September 1986 until 29 March 1987. The Commanding Officer was Lt.Cdr. Mohd Yusof bin Sabudin TLDM N/401184. 
My stint on the ship was cut short following a physical alteration with superior while at sea on passage to Labuan. 
After receiving a disciplinary sentence and sussequent transfer endorsement from Commanding Officer, I was reassigned to KD Panah at Kuantan, Pahang. 
Ref: Zulheimy Maamor: KD Ganyang


KD PANAH
14th Squadron Patrol Craft
Kuantan, Pahang
30.3.1987 - 11.10.1987
I was drafter to KD Panah, from the 14th Squadron Patrol Craft based at Tanjung Gelang, Kuantan, Pahang. 
KD Panah, a Kris-class Patrol Craft was built in United Kingdom and acquired by RMN in 1960's. 
I served onboard KD Panah for 7 months, eventhough only 7 months, I had served under 2 Commanding Officer, Lt.Cdr. Zainal Murad  and Lt. Zainal Rashid. 
Out ship in this squadron, patrolled the South China Sea, focusing heavily on Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The main duty of this squadron as preventing maritime encroachments, specifically illegal fishing by foreign vessels. 
Confrontation with foreigh fisherman, predominantly from Thailand, they were dangerous and aggressive. Our ship had recounts an incident where a Thai Fishing boat attempted to ram KD Panah before the crew successfuly intercepted and detained it. 


Personal Memories & Crew Life
  • Rest & Recreation: During downtime, the crew anchored near islands to recuperate. Pulau Tioman was their most frequent rest destination.
  • Cross-Border Trips: The crew would sometimes travel from Pengkalan Kubur (Kelantan) via boat across the border to Tak Bai, Thailand, for shopping and dining.
  • Hari Raya at Sea: A poignant memory includes spending Hari Raya Aidilfitri deployed in pitch-black waters. The cook prepared traditional festive foods like nasi himpit and rendang, and the commanding officer permitted the crew to shoot flares into the night sky to celebrate.
References:

KD SRI NEGRI SEMBILAN
12th Squadron Patrol Craft
Lumut, Perak
12.10.1987 - 28.3.1988
I was drafted to KD Sri Negri Sembilan on 12 October 1987 and had served for 5 months as a Senior Radio Operator. 
KD Sri Negri Sembilan, from the 12th Squadron Patrol Craft based at Lumut, Perak, was a Sri Sabah-class built by Vosper Ltd in Portsmouth, England. It was commissioned into service on September 28, 1964. The first Commanding Officer as Lt.Cdr. Mohd Zain bin Mohd Salleh, who later rose to become the Chief of Navy on January 1, 1977. 
During my deployment, the Commanding Officer was Lt.Mior Rosdi bin Mior Mohd Jaafar,  who was also with me at KD Ganas as Navigation Officer in 1981. 

Operational History and Key Events:
  • Pulau Bidong Operations: The vessel operated around Pulau Bidong, Terengganu, which served as a major UNHCR refugee transit camp from 1978 to 1991. The crew monitored the area to secure and safeguard the thousands of arriving Vietnamese and Cambodian "boat people" fleeing regional conflicts.
  • Joint Exercises and Indonesia Visit: In November 1987, the ship participated in the Operational Sea Training Exercise (OSTEX) in the Malacca Strait. Following the drills, they docked at Belawan Port in Medan, Sumatra, under the command of Lt. Mior Rosdi bin Mior Mohd Jaafar. During a recreational visit to Lake Toba, a crew member from the sister ship KD Serampang reportedly fell ill due to local black magic following a verbal dispute with a local trader, though he was eventually cured after officers intervened with a tribal chief and a local shaman.
The ship was officially decommissioned by the RMN in 2006 and transferred to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) where it was renamed KM Nyireh. 
On 30 March 2017, the vessel was handed over to the Department of Marine Parks Malaysia. It was intentionally scuttled on April 20, 2017, at the Pulau Payar Marine Park Biodiversity Conservation Site in Kedah to serve as an artificial reef. 

References:
  1. Zulheimy Maamor: KD Sri Negri Sembilan.
  2. Notebook: KD Sri Negri Sembilan (1987).
  3. Zulheimy Maamor: KD Sri Negri Sembilan (1987-1988).

KD LEKIR
22nd Corvette Squadron
Lumut, Perak
7.8.1989 - 4.12.1991
KD Lekir from the 22nd Corvette Squadron, named after Hang Lekir, one of the five Malay legendary warriors of the Melaka Sultanate during the 15th Century. 
A Kasturi-class corvette based at Lumut, Perak, it was built by the Blohm + Voss (HDW) Shipyard in Kiel, West Germany and was commissioned on August 15, 1984. It first Commanding Officer was Cdr. Ramly bin Abu Bakar. 
Configured to handle air, surface and sub-surface threats. It features a 100mm/55 DP main gun and MM40 Exocet Surface-to-Surface Missiles. 
The Commanding Officer of KD Lekir during my deployment was Capt. Noor Azman Hj Othman TLDM N/400404. 

Operational History (1989-1991)
  • High-Profile Escort (1989 CHOGM): KD Lekir served as the official escort ship for HMY Britannia, which carried Queen Elizabeth II to Kuala Lumpur to open the 11th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
  • International Deployments: The ship routinely performed patrols off the Malay Peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak (guarding offshore oil platforms in Miri and Bintulu) and Swallow Reef. It made operational port calls to Surabaya, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
  • Fleet Reviews: Participated in the RMN International Royal Fleet Review in Penang (May 1990) and the Royal New Zealand Navy International Royal Fleet Review in Auckland (1991).
  • Joint Defense Drills: Routinely joined Exercise Starfish (1990 and 1991), a multi-lateral maritime warfare exercise under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) involving Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
  • LIMA Langkawi Inauguration (1991): The corvette took part in the very first Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition on November 11, 1991. 
KD Lekir was my final ship as I had actively served on prior to concluding my 16-year naval career in 1996. 

References:
Based on my dedicated 16-year career in the Royal Malaysian Navy spanning from 1980 to 1996, the summary of my memories sailing the vast ocean. 
Over 16 year in the Navy, I had served aboard 9 different ships and across 3 shore bases, proudly spending the vast majority of my active service deployed directly at sea rather that stationed at the Lumut base infrastructure. 

Hj Zulheimy Maamor
30 August 2026: 10.16 p.m
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Thursday, 27 August 2026

ONCE UPON A TIME IN A SAILOR'S LIFE


Once Upon A Time In A Sailor's Life...

Memoirs of 809025 LK KMR Zulheimy Maamor - Royal Malaysian Navy Veteran

I never thought 16 years would pass so fast.My journey with the Royal Malaysian Navy, began with one simple decision: TO SERVE. 

This blog is not about rank, medals or operations. It is about life between the bulkheads. The laughter in the mess, the silence before the storm, the brother who covered your watch, and the sea that taught us everything we know about patience, courage and humility. 


When I stepped into KD Pelandok, Lumut on 14 January 1980 as a young recruit, I didn't know I would end up serving 16 years on 9 ships and 3 shore bases, never once serving in a base in Lumut itself — only on ships.

This is my sailor's life.

Chapter 1: The Beginning - KD Pelandok
14.1.1980 - The recruits of Intake 139/80 first arrived at the Lumut, Naval Base, the first recruit to be trained at the newly opened base in Lumut. The massive 1,800-acre base was still under construction. Recruits trained amidst open dirt tracks and red clay. 





They successfully concluded their grueling training and pass out on June 26, 1980. This intake made history as the very first batch to officially inaugurate the new Lumut Parade Ground and graduate on Malaysian soil.



KD Pelandok was where boys became sailors. As LM KMR — a Laskar Muda trained as Naval Communicator — we learned Morse Code, flags Semaphore, procedures, and most importantly, discipline. Lumut was muddy, hot, and full of shouting. But it was home.



Chapter 2: The Singapore Years - Fast and Sealift
My first ship was KD Ganas, 1st Squadron Fast Attack Craft (Missile) in Woodlands, Singapore. 3 February to 27 July 1981. A missile boat is small, fast, and you feel every wave in your bones. 
My first experience at sea, and my first experience when the sea state was Beaufort 4, generating wave heights between 1.25 and 2.5 metres (4 to8 feet). 

We were not scared, we were focused, that is what training gives you, not the absence of fear, but the ability to do your job through. 

"Rough seas make stronger sailors"


Then I was drafted to KD Raja Jarom, 32nd Sealift Squadron, also in Woodlands — 28 July 1981 to 28 June 1982. From a striker to a workhorse. Sealift taught me the Navy is not just about guns, it's about bringing men and supplies where they are needed. That's where my second photo — facing the rough sea — was born.
We sailed from Woodlands to East Malaysia for the Ops Terumbu at Swallow Reef, sailed to Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau back to Kuching, Miri and Bintulu. Each port a different story. 
They say you can take the sailor from the sea, but you can never take the sea from the sailor. 
In a ship, especially big ship, we were Malay, Chinese, India, Iban,Kadazan etc... but aboard, we were just Malaysian sailors. We prayed in different way, but stood the same watch. 
The ship involved in collision with the Japanese Tanker on 19 December 1982, which resulted in the loss of 3 crew members. 




"Life is like the ocean. It can be calm or still, and rough or rigid. But in the end, it is always beautiful."

Chapter 3: The East - Sibu, Sarawak
After my Class 1 KMR course, I got drafter to KD Sri Rejang (RCP 7) in Sibu, Sarawak: from 28 March 1983 - 24 November 1984. Riverine patrol. Different navy entirely, the Brown Water Navy. Brown water, long rivers, kampungs along the bank. We were the government to people deep in Sarawak. That was one of the few places I stayed more than a year.




Chapter 4: The Nomad Years - 1985 to 1987
This is what made me feel tired. Between 1985 and 1987, I was the ball of the Navy.

KD Pendekar in Pasir Gudang, then LK KMR course back in Pelandok, then KD Mutiara, 36th Hydrographic Squadron — charting waters, quiet work but vital. Then Kementah in KL, then KD Ganyang, then KD Panah in Kuantan, then KD Sri Negeri Sembilan.










Most units, not even one year, then transferred again. As a Radio Operator — a RO, a semboyan man — I went where the signal needed me.

"Rough seas make stronger sailors, tough times build greater people."

Chapter 5: Pride - KD Lekir
Then came the highlight of my career. KD Lekir, 22nd Corvette Squadron, Lumut: from 7 August 1989 - 4 December 1991. This was my longest ship posting. A corvette is a real warship. Professional, proud, long patrols in the South China Sea. This is the ship I wear on my cap in my young photo. On Lekir, I was no longer a boy learning the ropes. I was a Laskar Kanan who knew the ropes.



Chapter 6: The Last Shore - SKTLDM Kuantan
After Lekir, SKTLDM Kuantan from 4 December 1991 to 13 March 1995. Kuantan became my last home in uniform.


And here is a story I have never forgotten.

After about one year in Kuantan, a Draft Order came. My name was listed to be transferred to KD Musytari. I was tired. Tired of being moved like a ball from ship to ship. So I met a female officer — I don't remember her name — and asked for her kindness not to transfer me because I had decided not to continue my service.

I still remember my words to her: "Puan, saya bukanlah pemain Bola dalam TLDM tetapi saya adalah Bola dalam TLDM."

I am not the football player in the RMN, I am the football itself.

She understood. My transfer to KD Musytari was cancelled and I stayed in SKTLDM Kuantan until the end.

Chapter 7: The Things We Never Did
There is one funny irony in my 16 years. I was a Communications Rating, a RO. I always collected signals at the counter in SKTLDM Lumut. But I never once entered inside the Comcen itself. Maybe I am one of the Radio Operator who never served in SKTLDM Lumut.

Tamat Perkhidmatan TLDM: 13 January 1996.

16 years. Finished at Markas Tentera Laut, KL and transition course at RBQ Auto Services, Pandan Jaya.

Epilogue: What the Sea Taught Me
The Navy taught me three things no school can:
1. A ship is only as strong as its crew. Rank means nothing when the storm hits at 2 AM. Everyone is needed.

2. Home is not a place, it's the people you miss while at sea.

3. You can be transferred, you can be tired, you can be the ball — but you never lose your anchor.

To all my shipmates from KD Ganas, KD Raja Jarom, KD Sri Rejang, KD Pendekar, KD Mutiara, KD Ganyang, KD Panah, KD Sri Negeri Sembilan, and especially KD Lekir — fair winds and following seas.

We were sailors once, and sailors forever.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor
27 August 2026: 8.48 a.m
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Wednesday, 26 August 2026

VETERAN TENTERA LAUT : Dari Dek Kapal ke Dunia Blog.

Mungkin kita pernah tersilap menilai. Apabila melihat seorang lelaki tua memakai jockey cap bertulis K.D. LEKIR di warung kopi, andaian pertama kita mungkin hanya melihat seorang warga emas biasa. Hakikatnya, itu adalah kesilapan pertama kita.

Di sebalik usia dan raut wajah yang dimamah waktu, tersimpan sebuah sejarah pengorbanan yang tidak ternilai untuk kedaulatan negara. Dialah antara insan yang pernah mengharungi lautan luas, menjaga sempadan negara kita ketika kita masih lena diulit mimpi. 

Siapa Sebenarnya Veteran TLDM?
Veteran Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) adalah individu yang telah menghabiskan zaman mudanya berkhidmat di atas kapal-kapal perang Diraja Malaysia. Mereka menyertai perkhidmatan bukan atas dasar kemewahan, tetapi atas dasar penghormatan dan kebanggaan - Honor and Pride.

Seperti nukilan puisi keramat veteran laut antarabangsa:
"When I was young, many years ago, I joined the Navy. Why? I don't know. I served my time, with Honor, and Pride for as a young boy... It was quite a ride... I went to many places, travel the world, I'd never dream before..."

Mereka menyertai Tentera Laut bukan kerana glamour, tapi kerana Honor and Pride. Pada usia yang masih muda, mereka meninggalkan keluarga berbulan-bulan lamanya, meredah Laut China Selatan dan Selat Melaka, berhadapan ancaman musuh dan ombak besar demi memastikan perairan Malaysia terus selamat.

KD LEKIR F-26: Lebih Dari Sekadar Nama Di Topi

KD LEKIR (F-26) yang tertera pada topi veteran bukanlah sekadar nama. Ia adalah sebuah Frigat Kelas Kasturi yang telah banyak menabur jasa dalam operasi TLDM, termasuk rondaan di perairan Sabah, menjaga Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif (EEZ) Malaysia, dan latihan antarabangsa.

"I Met people, I'll never forget and some, I wish I'd never met. But as I think back on those days gone by, My Ship, My shipmates, brings a tear to my eye."

Bagi setiap anak kapal, kapal adalah rumah. Anak kapal adalah keluarga. Susah senang bersama di tengah laut yang tiada sempadan. 

"Ship is my home....Sea is my playground and war is my game....."

Ramai veteran mengakui, nilai sebenar perkhidmatan hanya difahami setelah bersara.

"I didn't know it then, never gave it a thought but my time in the Navy, could not have been bought. I guess we all feel the same, after we're out the pride we feel, that's what it is about having served our nation, keeping it free, protecting our way of life, and our liberty..."

Pengorbanan Yang Tidak Boleh Dibeli Dengan Wang ringgit. Masa, tenaga, dan jiwa yang diberikan tidak boleh dibeli dengan wang ringgit. Ia adalah satu legasi yang perlu kita warisi rasa bangganya.

Penutup: ANCHOR AWEIGH

"I guess we all feel the same, after we're out the pride we feel, that's what it is about having served our nation, keeping it free, protecting our way of life, and our liberty and the friends I made, along the way... Would I do it again? Any day and to all my Shipmates... ANCHOR...AWEIGH..."

Hari ini, bila mereka sudah bersara, uniform putih itu mungkin sudah disimpan rapi. Topi K.D. LEKIR itu mungkin satu-satunya bukti mereka pernah berkhidmat. Tapi semangat ANCHOR AWEIGH itu masih mengalir.

Kepada semua veteran TLDM, khususnya bekas anak-anak kapal KD LEKIR, jasa kalian akan sentiasa dikenang oleh generasi kami.

Jika anda bertemu mereka di mana-mana, berikanlah sedikit penghormatan. Senyum dan sapa. Kerana keamanan yang kita kecapi di darat hari ini, adalah kerana ada insan yang dahulunya sanggup bergadai nyawa menjaga lautan kita.

Would I do it again? Any day and to all my Shipmates...
ANCHOR... AWEIGH

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor
Veteran TLDM
26 Ogos 2026: 8.04 p.m
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LIFE ONBOARD RMN PATROL CRAFT (PC) IN THE 80'S


Written by:
Hj Zulheimy Bin Maamor
Veteran of the Royal Malaysian Navy

I joined the Royal Malaysian Navy when patrol craft were still the workhorses of the fleet — small, noisy, salt-caked, and always moving. This is not an official history. It is a deck-level memory of two hulls, two squadrons, and one year that taught me what “small ship, big sea” really meant.

Introduction — The PC Era

In the mid-80s, if you were posted to a Patrol Craft, you understood two things: you would be wet more often than not, and you would see more of Malaysia’s maritime borders than any staff officer in KL. The PCs were old by then, but they were honest ships.

Between 30 March 1987 and 28 March 1988, I served on two very different PCs — one on the east coast facing the South China Sea, the other on the west coast facing the Strait and beyond. This is that year, told as it was lived: watches, boardings, anchorages, and the quiet moments in between.

KD PANAH
14th Squadron Patrol Craft
Tg.Gelang, Kuantan, Pahang
30.3.1987 - 11.10.1987


My first Patrol Craft was a Kris class PC, KD Panah (P42) of the 14th Squadron Patrol Craft (14th PC) based at Tanjung Gelang, Kuantan, Pahang.

KD PANAH was a Kris-class, one of the batch built in the United Kingdom in the 1960s that formed the backbone of RMN’s coastal force for two decades. She was not fast by modern standards, she was loud, and her mess deck leaked when we took green water over the bow — but she could stay out.

I reported to Tg. Gelang, Kuantan. 14th Squadron. Our patch was the EEZ in the South China Sea. The job was mostly invisible: deterrence, presence, boarding. The real traffic then was Thai fishing boats — deep-hulled trawlers that worked our waters at night, lights off, nets down.

Two Commanding Officers in my time: Lt Kdr Zainal Murad and then Lt Zainal Rashid (Diver). Different styles, same seamanship. With Lt Kdr Zainal Murad, I learned how to read a contact not just on radar but by its behaviour — the hesitation before a turn, the sudden change in engine note.

Life on a Small Patrol Craft
Life on a PC is measured in small mercies. A cold drink at Pulau Tioman after a week of ration water. A quiet anchorage at Tak Bai, Thailand, where the smell of Tom Yam from the galley could make the whole upper deck forget we were on patrol.

You learn to sleep through diesel vibration, to shower with a bucket, to write letters that take three weeks to arrive. And you learn that 22 men in 96 feet becomes a family, whether you plan it or not.

One day we had a near-ramming. We had ordered a Thai boat to stop for boarding. She pretended to comply, then at the last 50 yards put her helm hard over to run between us and our RHIB. The smell of diesel, the shouting, our coxswain pulling us clear. On a PC, there is no margin. You feel everything.







You don’t really “sail” a PC. You live on it. We anchored off islands not for scenery but because the hull needed rest and the crew needed a night without rolling. Pulau Tioman was a favourite — then still quiet, water so clear you could see the anchor chain vanish into blue. We would scrub the hull waterline, swim around the ship, and the coxswain would tell us not to go too far because of current.

The most unexpected run was the border: from Pengkalan Kubur, Kelantan to Tak Bai, Thailand. On paper it was a routine riverine and coastal check. In reality it meant crossing into a different world for half a day. We secured alongside and walked to a Muslim stall near the market. The Tom Yam — sour, salty, with catfish and young tamarind — still sits in my memory as the best I’ve ever had. The stall owner knew we were TLDM. He just smiled and added more rice.






Pasukan Kadet Bersatu Malaysia (Laut) during Sea Training at South China Sea in 1987. 

Hari Raya at Sea — South China Sea, 1987
Hari Raya at sea in 1987 fell while we were underway. No ketupat from home, no family. Hari Raya Puasa came while we were at sea. There was no going home. The cook had kept nasi himpit and rendang in the coolbox since Kuantan. We ate after Maghrib on the upper deck, paper plates bending. 




“At sunset we fired flares — red and white falling slow over black water. Everyone on deck, in clean jerseys. Nasi himpit, rendang from the galley, eaten with hands that still smelled of grease. Then solat Raya on the aft deck, the ship hove-to, and a silence I have never heard again at sea. No engine, no radio. Just breathing.”

At night, the Captain ordered flare firing — not for distress, but for celebration. Parachute flares hanging like small moons. A white star hung over the South China Sea for forty seconds and we all looked up like children.

Morning was different. We performed Solat Raya on deck. The ship was stopped, drifting. After the takbir, no one spoke loudly. The sea was flat. I remember thinking, this is what fitrah feels like — nothing between you and horizon.



The boy who drifted 29 hours
In that same deployment, the fleet was still talking about LK1 Abdul Jalil Bin Saat from KD SRI SARAWAK. He had fallen overboard — or been washed — and spent 29 hours adrift before being found alive. On a big ship, man overboard is a drill. On a small PC at night, in monsoon transition, it is a different fear altogether. We checked lashings twice after that story. We counted heads three times.


KD SRI NEGRI SEMBILAN
12th Squadron Patrol Craft
Lumut, Perak
12.10.1987 - 28.43.1988





On 12 October 1987,  I crossed to the west coast. KD SRI NEGRI SEMBILAN, pennant P3146, 12th Squadron Patrol Craft (12th PC), based at Lumut, Perak. She was a different pedigree altogether: built by Vosper Ltd, Portsmouth, England, commissioned on 28 September 1964.

Her first Commanding Officer was Lt Kdr Mohd Zain bin Mohd Salleh — a name every junior sailor knew, because he would later become Chief of Navy in 1977. To serve on a ship that had been his first command felt like stepping into a lineage. The wardroom had a faded commissioning photo. You could see the same gun mounting, same bridge, twenty-three years earlier.

I was posted as Laskar Kanan. In truth, that was a mis-posting. A PC’s complement called for Laskar Kelas 1 for my trade. But the Navy in those days was pragmatic: if you were qualified and available, you went. So I learned quickly. On a PC, rank is less important than whether you know where the emergency steering is without looking.
The Commanding Officer when I was at KD Sri Negri Sembilan was Lt. Mior Rosdi bin Dato' Mior Jaafar, who was also a Navigation Officer when I was onboard KD Ganas at Woodlands, Singapore in 1981. 


PULAU BIDONG
Our patrol box often included Pulau Bidong, 45 kilometres off Terengganu. Since 8 August 1978, when 121 Vietnamese landed and were taken in, the island had become a UNHCR transit camp. By June 1979, at its peak, there were 40,000 people on an island barely a kilometre long.

In July 1987, KD Sri Negri Sembilan was tasked to patrol the waters around the island - at that times the largest Vietnamese refugee camp in the world, administered by UNHCR with Malaysian Navy support. 




By 1987 the numbers were lower, but the camp was still there — long atap sheds, laundry lines, church and pagoda. We were not there to administer. We were there to watch the water: to deter pirates who preyed on refugee boats, to prevent unauthorised landings, and to report movements.

“From the bridge at 0200, Bidong looked like a small city with no streetlights — cooking fires flickering, dogs barking across water. You could smell the island before you saw it. And you understood: these people had crossed the same sea that was now rocking us to sleep, but for them it was not a patrol.”Station off Bidong — Night Watch

We also saw Cambodian families, including some Khmer Rouge remnants who had drifted after the collapse. The politics were above my pay grade. Our orders were simple: ensure safety of life at sea, and ensure Malaysian sovereignty was respected. We gave water when needed. We shadowed suspicious boats until they turned back.

The pirate threat was real. In the late 70s and early 80s, refugee boats had been attacked in these waters. By ’87 we patrolled with live ammunition and strict searchlight discipline — never illuminating the camp directly, always the sea approaches.





Pulau Bidong in 1987 was not a headline anymore. It was a daily routine of humanity - births, deaths, lessons under trees, letters home that might never arrive.Our job was to keep the sea lane safe and the island supplied. 

OSTEX & Goodwill to Belawan / Medan
November brought OSTEX in the Strait of Malacca, followed by a goodwill visit to Indonesia. We sailed in company with KD SERAMPANG (41). Two small PCs in formation, doing manoeuvres that bigger ships would find trivial, but for us it meant everything had to be precise — station keeping at 4 cables in a 3-metre swell is not comfortable.


We berthed at Belawan, the port town 24 kilometres from Medan. Medan in 1987 was — and still is — the largest city in Sumatra: noisy, hot, full of becaks and kretek smoke. For a sailor from Lumut and Kuantan, it felt like another continent, even though it was just across the Strait.


Part of the goodwill programme was a trip inland to Lake Toba — the largest lake in Indonesia, formed in a supervolcano caldera. We went in a bus that had no air-conditioning, through palm estates and Batak villages. The lake itself was vast, like a sea at altitude. We stopped at a market near Parapat.




The incident at Toba
There, one of the sailor from KD Serampang,  suddenly became kerasukan — possessed. He shouted, eyes rolled, collapsed among the fruit stalls. The market went quiet. Our chief tried to hold him, but he was strong. An old Batak man pushed through — a bomoh, or datu — and asked us to step back. He spoke softly in Batak, sprinkled water from a bottle, placed his hand on the boy’s forehead.

Within minutes, the crewman calmed, then wept. The bomoh said nothing more, just waved us away. On the bus back, no one joked. The CO later said: “When you are a guest abroad, guard your mouth, guard your manners, guard your thoughts. You are not only representing yourself.” That lesson stayed longer than the lake.

Fate of the Ships
Years pass. Hulls that were once home become statistics. KD SRI NEGRI SEMBILAN served until 2006, when she was decommissioned from TLDM and handed over to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) as KM NYIREH.

Her final service was perhaps her most beautiful. On 20 April 2017, she was sunk off Pulau Payar Marine Park as part of the biodiversity reef project — an artificial reef. No ceremony that I attended. Just a controlled sinking, water filling the compartments where we once kept charts and rice.


KD PANAH? 
She went earlier, broken up after years in reserve. Kris-class PCs were never meant to last forever. KD Panah (P42), is currently active and back with the Royal Malaysian Navy but it now operates under the new name KD Sri Sarawak (P48).

But for those who served, the smell of bilge and paint stays.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor
26 August 2026: 2.22 a.m
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