Ep 10. Safeguard

While on patrol, HMAS Hammersley receives an SOS signal from a cargo ship, The Pacific Mariner, which is under attack by pirates. Swain decides to take charge of the mission that involves boarding the cargo ship, getting rid of the pirates, and securing the small arms that the ship is carrying. On reaching the cargo ship, the Sea Patrol team realizes that the pirates are armed and dangerous.

The team tries to take control of the cargo ship, but the pirates prevent them from doing so. Two of them get away in a small boat while the others stay back to fight. One of the pirates is injured, and the medical team helps him. One of the crew members suspects that the injured pirate might not be all that he seems, and the rest of the team agrees with him. They decide to keep him under close watch.

Meanwhile, the captain of The Pacific Mariner is glad that the Sea Patrol team is there to help him. However, he is not too happy about the pirates succeeding in stealing the ship's engines. The team starts to investigate the theft and realizes that the supposedly injured pirate has a hand in it. The team manages to retrieve the stolen engines from the pirate boat, but they soon find out that this was just a diversion to get the crew off the cargo ship.

Things get worse when the team discovers that the pirates have rigged the cargo ship with explosives. The team needs to move quickly to save not only the crew of The Pacific Mariner but also their own lives. In an exciting climax, the Sea Patrol team has to work together to disable the bombs on the cargo and take down the remaining pirates.

With the pirates defeated, Swain and the team escort The Pacific Mariner back to Australia, where they receive a warm welcome and are hailed as heroes. However, for the Sea Patrol team, it's just another day on the job, knowing that they have helped ensure the safety and security of Australia's waters.

Overall, the Safeguard episode of Sea Patrol season 3 is an action-packed story of courage, teamwork, and determination, where the Sea Patrol team put their lives on the line to keep their country safe. The episode showcases the challenges the team faces when on a mission and highlights the risks they take to protect their country. It also unearths some of the complex and confusing realities of the work of a patrol team, where making quick decisions in high-stress situations can have life-altering consequences.