Cyclone Jasper Prompts Daring Evacuation by Royal Australian Navy
by The Queenslander Staff
The Royal Australian Navy’s guided missile destroyer, HMAS Brisbane, successfully evacuated four personnel from the Bureau of Meteorology who were stationed on a remote weather station on Willis Island, located off the Queensland coast. This evacuation was in response to the imminent threat posed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
HMAS Brisbane, which was operating south of Willis Island in the Coral Sea, was redirected to the island on the evening of Friday, 8 December 2023. Willis Island is approximately 480 kilometers east of Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland. The evacuation operation began after dawn on Saturday, 9 December 2023.
The MH-60R Seahawk helicopter onboard Brisbane carried out four sorties to transport the meteorology staff from the small, vulnerable sand island to the safety of the destroyer. The evacuation was completed by approximately 7:30 am local time.
The mission was executed under challenging conditions, with a heavy sea state featuring 3-meter high waves and winds sustaining at 25 knots (46 kilometers per hour).
Following the evacuation, HMAS Brisbane is now en route to Sydney. The evacuated Bureau of Meteorology personnel are scheduled to disembark in Sydney the following morning.
