The "Seasweep" vessel rescued the 93 Indochinese refugees aboard this boat.

As a result of decades of war in Indochina, thousands of Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians were displaced from their homes, fleeing for their lives. Once the South Vietnamese government fell and Western troops withdrew in the 1970s, thousands of people who had supported their leaders had nowhere to turn, taking to the sea in anything that would float.

Though World Vision urged governments and the United Nations (UN) to rescue the refugees from the dangerous South China Sea, none were particularly interested in offering assistance.

Stan Mooneyham, World Vision's president, sought to help the suffering and oppressed in Indochina, championing the cause of the "boat people." Under his leadership in 1978, World Vision purchased a 188-foot, 345-ton ship, refurbished it, christened it Seasweep, and set out to rescue refugees from the treacherous waters.

Dubbed Operation Seasweep, this effort not only saved people in danger but sent a clear and urgent message that caused the international community to listen. As a result, France, Norway, Germany, and Italy sent rescue ships. Eventually the UN High Commissioner for Refugees contracted the Seasweep to bring medical care to boat refugees in island transitional camps, before retiring this vessel that offered a new life to many.