Martyrs of DK1 – their youth remains lost in the vast ocean.

The DK1 offshore platform stands majestically in the sea. Photo: Tran Tuan

On July 5, 1989, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (now the Prime Minister) issued a directive on the construction of an " Economic -Scientific-Service Cluster" on the southern continental shelf of the Vung Tau - Con Dao Special Zone (abbreviated as DK1).

With the order, "at all costs, we must protect the sacred continental shelf of our Fatherland," the naval soldiers of Brigade 171 urgently boarded ships and set sail to defend the country's sovereign waters.

According to documents from the Naval Region 2 Command, over the 35 years since the construction of the DK1 offshore platforms, four typhoon seasons in 1990, 1996, 1998, and 2000 have passed, resulting in the deaths of many DK1 soldiers. Many died without wives or girlfriends, with love letters still tucked away at the bottom of their backpacks.

Memories of the Returnee

In early July, during the 35th anniversary celebration of the DK1 Battalion ( thuộc Brigade 171, Command of Region 2 of the Navy), sitting in a small room in Tan Binh District (Ho Chi Minh City), Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ton kept looking up at the photograph of the DK1 platform amidst the vast expanse of waves.

Lieutenant Colonel Ton was one of six survivors who returned home after the Phuc Nguyen 2A offshore platform was destroyed by a storm in December 1998. Three of his comrades perished at sea.

Twenty-six years have passed, but the memories have never faded from the mind of the naval soldier…

On December 12, 1998, Typhoon Faith swept through the DK1 sea area. All the ships had gone to avoid the storm, leaving only the isolated offshore platforms.

The book "Traditions of the Phuc Nguyen Platform (1990 – 2007)" published by the People's Army Publishing House in 2007 describes the moment the platform experienced the storm that year as follows:

“For a long time, we continuously struggled against raging storms; huge waves, with crests reaching 15-16 meters, slammed against the base, engulfing the entire working platform of the platform, along with strong winds causing the platform to shake violently and tilt and sway intensely.”

Twenty-six years have passed, but the memories have never faded from the mind of naval soldier Nguyen Huu Ton. Photo: Anh Tu

Around 11 PM, a huge wave crashed onto the offshore platform, causing it to tilt sharply to one side. The wooden floorboards were ripped off, the food storage cabinets collapsed, and many items such as tables, chairs, cabinets, and televisions were scattered and tossed around.

After ordering radio operator Hoang Xuan Thuy to report the situation to the mainland, the platform commander, Captain Vu Quang Chuong, 30 years old, from Thai Binh province, gathered his men and resolutely declared: "We will hold the station to the end. In case of emergency, you are not allowed to leave your position with my order."

Around midnight, the communication equipment to the Command Center lost power. Hoang Van Thuy tried to reconnect to inform the Command Center on the mainland, reporting that the platform could not survive the night. From the Command Center, Ms. Van, the communications officer, continuously encouraged them: "In the worst-case scenario, if the platform collapses, our ships are ready to rescue you. Don't worry."

The waves were getting bigger and bigger, so all nine men on the platform had already put on life jackets and tied ropes to each other's hands so that they could still find each other if the platform collapsed into the sea.

"At that time, everyone understood that sacrifices might be necessary, but they remained very calm, sometimes even smiling optimistically and joking with each other about this and that," Major Nguyen Huu Ton recalled.

At approximately 3:50 AM on December 13, 1998, a terrifying wave, as steep as a cliff, crashed violently against the platform, engulfing them. The platform could no longer withstand the onslaught.

Captain Chương ordered the first group to grab onto lifebuoys and jump into the sea, including: Lieutenant Nguyen Van Hoan, medical officer Nguyen Huu Ton, and cryptography soldier Ha Cong Dung…

As for Chương, before leaving the platform, he carefully closed all the doors, because if the platform collapsed, his comrades wouldn't be sucked into the swirling water. Then, solemnly, he hugged the red flag with a yellow star to his chest, folded it, and carried it with him. When the platform collapsed, he and radio operator Hoàng Xuân Thủy were the last two to jump into the sea.

Nine soldiers on the offshore platform struggled against the raging waves. Thirty minutes later, Ton, Hoan, Thuy, Thuat, Dung, and Tho managed to cling to a life raft. They relied on each other amidst the icy, crashing waves. But no one knew where Chuong, An, and Hong were…

A reporter from Lao Dong newspaper in the delegation visiting the DK1 offshore platforms in early 2024. Photo: Tran Tuan

The rescue forces did their best, and by the night of December 13th, they had rescued six soldiers. Three brave men sacrificed their lives: Captain Vu Quang Chuong, Station Chief; Warrant Officer Le Duc Hong, radar operator; and Warrant Officer Nguyen Van An, electromechanical technician.

At the time of his sacrifice, Captain Chương was just 30 years old, still owing his parents the promise to marry and have children. Radar operator Nguyễn Văn An carried the burden of not having met his newborn son, not having had time to name him. And electrical engineer Lê Đức Hồng, a 21-year-old, had never known love.

A coral branch on the altar for fallen soldiers.

Also during the month of July, at a small house in Tri Chi Nam village, commune   In Thuy Truong, Thai Thuy district (Thai Binh province), the altar dedicated to martyr Vu Quang Chuong – the commander of the offshore platform who died in the 1998 storm – is filled with the fragrant smoke of incense.

What's special is that there's a coral branch on that altar.

When we arrived, the martyr's younger brother, Mr. Vu Quang Chuyen (born in 1974), was quietly carrying a branch of coral down to clean it.

A coral branch on the altar dedicated to martyr Vu Quang Chuong. Photo: Tran Tuan

"The State and the Army have organized search efforts many times, but the vast ocean has made it impossible to find his body."

"After that, my father suggested that the unit help retrieve a coral branch from the area where the offshore platform collapsed to place on the altar, as if it were the ashes of my brother Chương," said Mr. Vũ Quang Chuyên.

Martyr Vu Quang Chuong was the eldest of four brothers. His father, Mr. Vu Quang Duong, is nearly 80 years old and was formerly a special forces soldier in Brigade 429 (Special Forces Command), having fought in the Southern battlefield.

Mr. Vu Quang Chuyen is the third younger brother of martyr Chuong, and he was affected by Agent Orange. The martyr's two sisters, Phuong and Hong, also frequently fall ill.

In his younger brother's memory, the martyr Vu Quang Chuong was someone who, whenever he came home on leave, would be gone in a hurry, sometimes having to return to his unit before even a day had passed.

Mr. Vu Quang Chuyen – the younger brother of martyr Vu Quang Chuong – in his house, which was partly built with support from the Navy and Brigade 171. Photo: Tran Tuan

"The last time he came home, he said that next year he would build a house for his parents, take care of his siblings, and then get married."

"When he passed away, it was more than a month before the family found out. My mother and I couldn't handle the shock and had to be hospitalized. My mother passed away a few years later. My father's health also deteriorated significantly. Now he lives in Dak Lak with his youngest sister's family," Mr. Chuyen said, his eyes welling up with tears.

Mr. Chuyen said that the family finds comfort in the constant encouragement, both spiritual and material, from the Command of Naval Region 2, Brigade 171, and Battalion DK1, as well as the comrades of martyr Vu Quang Chuong.

On the evening of July 26th, we contacted Mr. Chuyen and learned that Mr. Vu Quang Duong had also just returned to Thai Binh from Dak Lak a few days earlier. The whole family was preparing a memorial meal for the fallen soldiers on July 27th.

Laodong.vn

Source: https://laodong.vn/ban-doc/liet-si-dk1-thanh-xuan-o-lai-trung-khoi-1355540.ldo