You might think that the times of the Titanic
are long gone, but what if I told you that less than 20 years ago there was another ship
that almost followed in the steps of the infamous passenger liner? This time, abandoned by their captain, around
600 passengers would have lost their lives if not for the quick-thinking and courageous
cruise ship entertainers. The Oceanos, built in France and first launched
in July 1952, was a Greek-owned cruise ship that traveled along the Marseilles - Madagascar
– Mauritius route. On August 3, 1991, after a serious delay,
it set off from East London, South Africa, on its fateful voyage toward Durban. The captain of the Oceanos was experienced
seaman Yiannis Avranas, who’d been sailing the oceans for 30 years, including 20 years
as an officer. Even before the journey started, the ship
had already started to wear. With holes in its walls, loose hull plates,
and missing parts that control the flow of water, it looked pretty neglected. But let's get back to the moment of the departure. Usually, the ship's crew would’ve organized
a "sail-away" party with the entertainers and musicians on the deck outside. But everything seemed to be going wrong this
time. The sea was incredibly rough, causing the
party to take place inside, in the Four Seasons lounge. Even so, most passengers were unwilling to
leave their cabins during such a powerful storm. But soon, things got even worse. Several hours into the dinner party, the waiters
could hardly balance their trays without dropping something. At one terrifying moment, plates, glasses,
and cutlery started to slide off the tables. People couldn't stand straight any longer,
and potted plants decorating the lounge began to fall over. The problem was that, in an attempt to make
up for the previous delay, the Oceanos entered rough seas. But it turned out to be a fatal mistake. First of all, the ship's waste disposal system
was still under repair, meaning that several essential parts hadn't been replaced yet. Secondly, the ship wasn’t only stuck in
a violent storm. No, the situation was much, much more dangerous,
because the Oceanos encountered rogue waves, also called monster waves. They’re incredibly large and unexpected;
they appear all of a sudden and can wreck even large ships and ocean liners. So, with these dangerous waves slamming against
the ship, it’s no wonder that its shell plating eventually gave in and burst open. Seawater started to fill the ship's engine
room at lightning speed. And since the rising water could have easily
short-circuited the generators, they were immediately switched off. The Oceanos lost power and was rolling adrift
on the waves. Most of the passengers were still unaware
of the looming disaster, but their ignorance wasn't going to last. The ocean water was flooding the ship through
the main drainage pipes, which meant that it was uncontrollably spilling out of toilets,
showers, and the water disposal system. The ship was sinking slowly but surely. The main lights went out, replaced by the
emergency ones. The ship turned dark, with only public areas
dimly lit. You’d probably assume that, upon hearing
such dramatic news, the crew immediately informed the passengers and started the evacuation
process? Not this time; on board the sinking Oceanos,
it just didn't happen. As soon as the crew realized that the ship
was beyond hope and couldn't be saved, they got ready to abandon it. They didn’t follow the standard procedure
of locking the portholes on the lower decks, and they even failed to raise the alarm! As a result, the passengers remained in the
dark until the water began to flood the lower decks. Those who finally noticed the horrifying situation
rushed to the bridge in search of the crew, but discovered that it was unmanned! A few witnesses later reported that they saw
the captain, along with some other crew members, all packed and ready to abandon ship. Ever heard about the seamen's rule, which
states that the captain is the last person to leave the ship if it's sinking? What's more, if he's unable to evacuate the
passengers and his crew, he shouldn't save his own life even if he can. Well, so much for this noble tradition on
the Oceanos... The captain and his crew weren't going to
save the day. They departed on several lifeboats without
looking back. Luckily, the ship still had its entertainers. Before the disaster struck, almost all the
passengers had gathered in the main lounge to see the 10-PM show. However, they were getting more and more alarmed
because something strange was happening on the ship. Moss Hills performed on the Oceanos as a singer
and guitarist. He could tell that the ship was having a problem,
but at that time, he hadn't realized yet how serious the situation was. For the time being, he decided to keep entertaining
guests to prevent panic and keep them calm. Since there was no electricity on board, none
of the microphones or speakers worked. In the dimness of the emergency lights, the
performer played his acoustic guitar and sang along with it. But the passengers kept asking what was going
on in between the songs. Having run out of plausible explanations and
any other ways to entertain the nervous people, Hills left to investigate. Later, Hills said that the captain denied
that the ship was sinking, but at the same time, told them to prepare for an evacuation. It sounded strange, and Hills, together with
his fellow entertainer Julian Butler, made their way to the "Crew Only" area to find
out the real story. The dark ship was rolling violently; oily
stairways were incredibly difficult to climb. But eventually, the duo reached the very bottom
of Oceanos. To their surprise, they discovered that the
deck was indeed dry. They kept searching for signs of water but
found none. Hills and Butler had nothing to do but to
return to the upper deck. As they got there, they saw that several lifeboats
had already been lowered, and children and women were getting inside. But to their shock, the entertainers also
noticed that senior officers were climbing into the boats as well, and no-one seemed
to be in charge of the situation. Hills got even more suspicious and headed
for the lower decks again, this time alone. As soon as he neared the engine room, he heard
the sound of raging water. The man turned a corner, and his worst fears
were confirmed - the ship WAS sinking. As soon as Hills realized the horror of the
situation, as well as the fact that they couldn't expect any help from the panicking crew, he
sprang into action. Together with his wife Tracy, and their colleagues
Robin Boltman and Julian Butler, they started to assist the passengers. Hills kept broadcasting a Mayday distress
call via the radio phone until their cry for help was answered. The South African Air Force and the South
African Navy sent 16 rescue helicopters that were to arrive at any moment. On top of that, the Dutch container ship Nedlloyd
Mauritius also responded to the Oceanos's distress call and rushed to help. Later, its lifeboats played a significant
role in evacuating the passengers from the sinking ship. Meanwhile, Moss Hills organized an orderly
evacuation process where children and women were the first to use the remaining lifeboats. Unfortunately, since the ship had already
been lying on its right side by that time, the passengers couldn't use all the boats
that were on board. Luckily, the helicopters arrived just in time
to airlift the 225 people remaining on the ship with the help of safety harnesses. Once again, the entertainers insisted that
children and women had to be rescued first. After that, everyone was taken to a nearby
town, around 6 miles (10 km) away. All 571 people who were on board the ship
after the crew abandoned it were saved. Moss and Tracy Hills, as well as Butler and
Boltman, were among the last to leave the ship. Boltman later said that the captain contacted
him in the morning from the shore to find out how the evacuation was going. At about 3:30 PM the next day, the Oceanos
touched the sand bottom, 300 ft (90 m) below the ocean’s surface. The last minutes of its sinking were recorded
on video and broadcast by ABC News. Nowadays, the ship's wreck lies around 3 miles
(5 km) away from the shore, and divers occasionally try to visit the infamous Oceanos. However, the currents in that region are too
strong, which makes diving very difficult and dangerous. And on top of that, the area is swarming with
sharks, so you can imagine that not too many people have seen the wreck with their own
eyes. Wow! Have you heard of any other stories where
someone's courage and dedication saved human lives? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned something new today, then give
this video a like and share it with a friend. But – hey! – don't get into that lifeboat
just yet! We have over 2,000 cool videos for you to
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