Skipper says Navy has yet to come clean

Skipper says Navy has yet to come clean

19 October 2016

THE skipper of the Ardglass trawler almost pulled under the water by a submarine has accused the Royal Navy of playing ‘Russian roulette’ with the Irish Sea fishing fleet.

Memories of the terrifying incident are as vivid today for Paul Murphy as they were in April last year when he was fishing for prawns in flat calm conditions near the Isle of Man.

“The incident was 30 seconds of sheer terror with my life flashing before my eyes,” he recalled. “We believed our boat was going to capsize and that we would never be seen again.”

Mr Murphy said he isn’t happy with the investigation report as some of its 12 recommendations have not been made public. He also fears given the level of marine activity in the Irish Sea, a similar incident could happen again. The trawler skipper wants Navy officials to meet with local fishermen to provide more information about last year’s incident.

“If the Navy comes clean about exactly what it happened, why it happened, where their downfalls were, then we can understand it better and then get on with it, but they have to come and talk to us,” he declared.

“Another trawler could end up in the same situation unless the Royal Navy changes its practices. The day they came down the Irish Sea and caught me they were playing Russian roulette with 60 odd trawlers. The only way the submarine could safely navigate through the Irish Sea that day was on the surface.”

Mr Murphy said his boat stopped violently before being dragged backwards, explaining he realised right away that the only vessel that could have been responsible was a submarine.

“We were 15 miles out to sea and the submarine did not follow protocols by surfacing,” he continued. “If we had not been able to release our nets our boat would have floundered. The Karen is a big boat and if a smaller vessel’s nets had been snagged it would have gone in half the time.

“Since the accident in April last year I have not fished at night. If our accident had happened at night time the story would have been different. During the day, I avoid places where there is deep water and this affects our fishing availability.” 

Mr Murphy said there is an onus on the Royal Navy to ensure its submarines navigate safely. He said it’s his understanding that while the submarine crew involved in the incident with his boat reported to their captain that something had happened, the incident was not immediately investigated.

He added: “When the submarine got caught up in our nets, it made a decision to carry on and not surface as it is required to do. Many people asked a lot of questions in the wake of this incident with the most frustrating thing the Royal Navy’s initial claim that none of its subs were involved.”

“The Royal Navy must have lost touch with the fishing industry. I thought after the Antares incident in 1990 when four men lost their lives after their the trawler was sunk by a submarine after its nets were snagged that things would have gotten better, a protocol in place was supposed to have made us all feel safe.”