Missing Sailor's name released

17 Jun 2010

The Royal Australian Navy can confirm the name of the missing sailor presumed drowned, as 28 year old Leading Seaman (LS) Combat Systems Operator Andrew Wakely.

LS Wakely, from Bentley, Western Australia, was swimming at a beach on the western side of Tonga yesterday morning (16th June 2010) when fellow crew members notified senior authorities that he had possibly drowned.

At first light this morning, an air and sea search recommenced with HMAS Warramunga’s Seahawk helicopter and a Tongan patrol boat, manned by Tonga Defence Services, scouring the area.

The Seahawk continued searching the area till last light, while Tongan police conducted a search of local beaches. The body of LS Wakely has not been recovered at this time. The search will resume tomorrow.

Navy will conduct an investigation into the incident and cooperate fully with parallel investigations conducted by local authorities.

The sailor’s family is continuing to be provided with support by Navy and the Defence Community Organisation.

At this time, the family has requested the media respect their privacy.

HMAS Warramunga was conducting a scheduled Port Visit to Nuku’Alofa, Tonga at the time of the incident.