A young navigator, 4 warships and an epic journey home
A former navigating officer recounts the challenging 1973 journey of four Royal Malaysian Navy warships from France to Malaysia. The voyage was complicated by the closure of the Suez Canal, forcing the crew to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope.
Why it matters
It provides a historical perspective on naval logistics and the personal experiences of military personnel during a significant era of Malaysian maritime history.
KD Perdana, KD Ganas, KD Ganyang and KD Serang made the roughly 12,000-nautical-mile journey from Cherbourg to Malaysia in 1973, battling rough seas, breakdowns and a major detour around Africa. (Danyal Balagopal Abdullah pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: At 22, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah was handed a responsibility few people his age would ever have to imagine - help navigate one of four new Royal Malaysian Navy warships from France all the way back to Malaysia.
The year was 1973, and Danyal was serving as navigating officer aboard KD Ganyang, one of four Perdana-class Combattante vessels acquired by the navy. Together with 170 other personnel, he was tasked with bringing KD Perdana, KD Ganas, KD Ganyang and KD Serang home from Cherbourg.
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