'Arun' -- From Falklands to Natunas
'Arun' -- From Falklands to Natunas
By Ridwan M. Sijabat
ON BOARD KRI ARUN (JP): This 11,522-deadweight ton supply ship
has seen plenty of action, real and imaginary wars.
Once called the HMS Green Rover, it was part of the British
fleet that was sent on a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to
retake the Falkland Islands, or the Malvinas, from Argentina in
the 1980s.
Now christened KRI Arun by its Indonesian master, it is
required for an equally important task -- the "recapture" of the
Natuna Islands from enemy hands.
During the Falklands War, the ship carried military supplies
and was used as a floating hospital for injured soldiers.
On Sunday morning, KRI Arun set off from Tanjung Priok port in
Jakarta as part of a 40-strong armada taking part in the massive
joint exercise involving all the services of the Armed Forces.
The exercise which began on Sept. 4, will climax in coming
days with a massive convergence of most of the 19,000 troops,
assigned for the exercise, on the Natunas, a group of islands in
the South China Sea.
In the mock-up war, the Indonesian forces are assigned to
recapture the Natuna, which is not only strategically located but
also rich in oil and gas, from enemy hands. D-Day, or the big
war, is slated for this Saturday.
The ship is carrying fuel and other logistical supplies to
support the needs of other ships in the Natuna-bound armada. It
is also equipped with an armed helicopter, sophisticated
satellite communications and surface radio detection and range
finder.
Although it is well surrounded by heavily armed vessels, KRI
Arun is also equipped with anti-missile Chaff rockets and 40
millimeter, 20mm and 12.7 mm artillery.
Bought from Britain in 1992, the 141-meter-long and 19-meter-
wide vessel is capable of sailing 10,000 nautical miles at a
maximum speed of 16 knots an hour.
Following a major overhaul last year in the Navy's Surabaya
dockyard, the ship can see action for another 20 years, says the
Indonesian Navy.
The ship can carry up to 8,000 tons of fuel, 1,200 tons of
clean water and 300 personnel.
KRI Arun is also the headquarters of one of the exercise's
joint commanders, Brig. Gen. Ismed Yuzairi.
"Arun has seen plenty of action since it joined the Indonesian
Navy," Lt. Col. Sudjono Sadjim, the ship's captain, told The
Jakarta Post as the vessel sails across the Java Sea towards the
north.
"It has supplied fuel and clean water an average of 60 times a
year in various military operations," said Sudjono, who has been
in charge of the ship for the last five months.
KRI Arun's last action was in July, in a joint exercise
between the Indonesian and Australian navies in the Java Sea, he
said.
In the current operation, the ship is carrying 95 personnel,
including seven women from the Indonesian Women's Navy Corps.
Their presence on board, Sudjono explained, is part of the
Armed Forces policy of supporting women's emancipation in the
military.
In the Navy, more and more women are being commissioned to
work on war ships that were once exclusively male dominions, he
said.
"Their presence on the ship has been quite supportive. In fact
it has created better communication and working conditions among
the crew," Sudjono said.
Three of the female mariners are stationed in the
communications room, three in the communications unit and one in
arms unit.
Second Sergeant Yuly Pangumbalerang, Second Sgt. Sri Rahyuni
and Second Sgt. Etty Nurhayati, who have been working in the
communications room for the past five months, said they have been
assigned to work on the seas for two years.
Once they have completed their assignments, they are free to
marry and can request ground assignments, they said.
None have complained about sexual discrimination in a male-
dominated profession and environment.
"There is no gender discrimination on board this ship. Every
one has his or her task. Besides, military discipline and
hierarchy are strictly enforced here," Second Sergeant Yuly
Pangumbalerang, who is working in communications, told the Post.