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A Breton fishing boat which left Newlyn just hours before being lost with
all hands in a severe gale off The Lizard on Thursday afternoon may have
been rammed.
A French investigation into the tragic sinking of the Bugaled Breizh
with five men on board has revealed the trawler was probably the victim
of a hit-and-run accident in the busy shipping area.
At a press conference in Brittany, French prosecutor Roland Eisch showed
photographs revealing evidence of "an extremely violent impact on
the vessel's starboard bow, consistent with a ramming by a large and powerful
vessel of the container ship type, which caused the trawler to sink rapidly"
Before Thursday's tragedy, the Bugaled Breizh had been sheltering in
Newlyn, where she was known, until skipper Yves Gloaguen, aged 45, decided
conditions had improved enough to leave.
But just hours later, Falmouth Coastguards launched a major air and sea
search and rescue operation after receiving a distress call from another
fishing vessel, Eridan, reporting that they had seen her capsize and sink
around 14 miles south of the peninsula.
A distress alert from an emergency positioning beacon (EPRIRB) on the
vessel confirmed the sinking.
Rescue units including Royal Navy and RAF rescue helicopters, the Penlee
and Lizard lifeboats, and the Mount's Bay-based coastguard emergency towing
vessel Anglian Princess, were sent to the scene.
Eridan, as well as other merchant vessels, a Dutch submarine, other naval
vessels and two more fishing boats also gave assistance, together searching
127 square miles of sea.
The bodies of Yves Gloaguen and Pascal le Floch, aged 49, were recovered
from the water and transferred to shore by helicopter. The search continued
for three missing crew - Patrick Gloaguen, aged 35, Eric Guillamet, aged
42, and Georges le Metayer, aged 50.
Both of the vessel's life rafts were found empty and the search was finally
called off by Falmouth Coastguards after darkness fell at 5.15pm.
Newlyn harbourmaster Andrew Munson told The Cornishman that Bugaled Breizh
was a frequent visitor to Newlyn,
"She regularly came in, either for shelter or repairs. She was built
in 1986 and maybe came in two or three times a year.
"The crew had probably been on her for a month or so - in fact I
last met with them on the Monday morning.
"She was due back in France on Saturday and they were intending
to fish their way back."
Mr Munson informed the vessel's owner of the tragedy.
The harbourmaster added: "The life rafts automatically released
and the EPIRB went off. Everything about her (the vessel) was ship-shape
and Bristol fashion.
"It has been said that if they had their life jackets on they might
have survived. But I don't know - the water was 10 or 11 degrees and they
would have been in the water for around 20 minutes."
Weather conditions at the time of the sinking were severe. Mr Munson,
who is also operations manager for the Penlee lifeboat, said: "The
wind was 35 to 40 knots and gusting at up to 50 knots. The swell was five
to six metres high and there was poor visibility."
When the lifeboat arrived on the scene Mr Munson said coxswain Neil Brockman
and his crew saw wreckage from the vessel floating on the surface and
there was a strong smell of diesel.
A judicial inquiry aimed at trying to trace any vessel involved in a
collision is expected to be launched by French authorities today.
Collision at sea is a risk regularly run by fishermen. Six years ago
the Newlyn trawler Anneliese was badly damaged by a large vessel, even
though she tried to take evasive action; local skipper Martin Jones once
had to fire a red distress flare at the bridge of a container vessel in
a desperate bid to get noticed.
Andy Wheeler, of the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation, said: "Having
to dodge container ships and other ships is an occupational hazard. There's
not a fisherman who hasn't had a near miss of some kind."
article copyright © THE CORNISHMAN
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