The art of performance is about more than just entertainment. For one cruise ship musician, it became a matter of life and death. In the middle of the night, as the ship began to sink, he picked up his guitar and calmly played music to keep passengers calm and focused. His quick thinking and composure saved not only his own life, but the lives of hundreds of people. This is the story of The Indo Daily, a guitar hero and cruise ship entertainer who became a hero when it mattered most.
In 1991, the luxury liner Oceanos had set sail from the port of East London in South Africa on a voyage headed for the tourist island of Madagascar. On board the vessel were 581 passengers and crew members enjoying the various amenities and entertainment the ship had to offer. However, things took a dramatic turn when the ship began taking on water in the middle of the night during a storm.
As the ship listed and began to sink, passengers were left scrambling to find safety. It was up to the crew to ensure the safety of the passengers and evacuate them from the sinking ship. Chaos ensued, with many passengers panicking and some even jumping overboard in desperation.
It was during this chaos that Moss Hills and his wife Tracy, both professional musicians from Zimbabwe, found themselves in an unexpected but pivotal role. The couple had been working as entertainers on board the ship, with Moss on guitar and Tracy on bass. When the ship started sinking, they sprang into action to help passengers evacuate.
Moss and Tracy quickly realized that the crew members were not adequately trained to handle the situation. They stepped up to the challenge and took charge of the evacuation effort, guiding passengers to safety and making sure that everyone was accounted for. Moss even used his musical skills to calm down frightened passengers and boost morale.
The Hills were instrumental in setting up a makeshift life raft, which they loaded up with food, water, and basic supplies. They also used Moss’s guitar to boost morale and create a sense of camaraderie among the stranded passengers.
As the Hills worked tirelessly to organize the evacuation effort, the ship’s captain and many of the crew members were nowhere to be found. Many passengers were critical of the ship’s crew, who they felt had abandoned them in their time of need.
Eventually, rescue helicopters and Navy vessels arrived on the scene to evacuate the passengers. The Hills and other crew members remained on the sinking ship until everyone had been evacuated and accounted for.
The incident made headlines around the world, and the Hills were celebrated as heroes for their bravery and quick thinking in the face of disaster. Moss was even awarded a medal of bravery by the South African government and named a “man of the year” by a Zimbabwean newspaper.
The Hills went on to continue their music careers, but the experience on the Oceanos stayed with them. Moss later said in an interview, “It was the most intense experience of my life. We were thrown into a life and death situation almost instantly, and we had to find a way to save the lives of hundreds of people who were depending on us.”
The sinking of the Oceanos remains a cautionary tale about the importance of proper safety protocols and training for crew members, and the incredible heroism of ordinary people who rise to the occasion in times of crisis. For the Hills, it was a life-changing experience that cemented their legacy as true heroes.
