The
Solway Harvester was a
scallop dredgeA fishing dredge, also known as a scallop dredge, oyster dredge, etc, is a kind of dredge which is towed along the bottom of the sea by a fishing boat in order to collect a targeted edible bottom-dwelling species. The gear is used to fish for scallops, oysters and other species of clams, crabs, and...
r from
KirkcudbrightKirkcudbright, is a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, situated at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
, Scotland that sank off the coast of
Ramsey, Isle of ManRamsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
in heavy storms on 11 January 2000.
The
Solway Harvester was launched in 1992. An automated scallop dredger, she was fitted with sections along the sides which would rotate out and upwards to deposit the catch on the deck. She was 70ft (21m) long and had accommodation for eight on board, plus a workshop, ice machine and storage for the catch.
The
Solway Harvester was a
scallop dredgeA fishing dredge, also known as a scallop dredge, oyster dredge, etc, is a kind of dredge which is towed along the bottom of the sea by a fishing boat in order to collect a targeted edible bottom-dwelling species. The gear is used to fish for scallops, oysters and other species of clams, crabs, and...
r from
KirkcudbrightKirkcudbright, is a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, situated at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
, Scotland that sank off the coast of
Ramsey, Isle of ManRamsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
in heavy storms on 11 January 2000.
Career and sinking
The
Solway Harvester was launched in 1992. An automated scallop dredger, she was fitted with sections along the sides which would rotate out and upwards to deposit the catch on the deck. She was 70ft (21m) long and had accommodation for eight on board, plus a workshop, ice machine and storage for the catch. She was owned by Richard Gidney and operated under the command of her skipper, Andrew (Craig) Mills. Her crew were all from the
Isle of WhithornIsle of Whithorn is one of the most southerly villages and seaports in Scotland, lying on the coast, north east of Burrow Head, about three miles from Whithorn. Whithorn, , is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, with which the Isle of Whithorn is frequently incorrectly amalgamated or...
area of
Dumfries and GallowayDumfries and Galloway is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. To the north, it borders onto South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire; in the east the Borders; and to the south the county of Cumbria in England. It lies to the north of the Solway Firth and to the east of the Irish Sea...
.
On her final voyage, the
Solway Harvester sailed from Kirkcudbright in the early hours of 10 January 2000. She headed into the
Irish SeaThe Irish Sea also known as the Mann Sea or Manx Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Britain. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean in the south by St George's Channel, and in the north by the North Channel...
to harvest
scallopA scallop is a marine bivalve mollusc of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...
s from the
queen scallopThe queen scallop, scientific name Aequipecten opercularis, is a medium-sized species of scallop, an edible marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, the scallops.-Description:...
grounds. There were seven crew members aboard, two were as young as 17. They remained off the grounds until the afternoon of the following day, 11 January. Having collected 150 bags of scallops, they hauled in their gear and began the return voyage. The weather meanwhile had begun to worsen, and skipper Craig Mills decided to seek shelter in
Ramsey BayRamsey Bay is a large bay at the northeastern end of the Isle of Man. It runs for 18 kilometres from the Point of Ayre at the island's northern tip to Maughold Head...
,
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor...
. Mills made a final phone call at 17:29.
Nothing further was heard until 17:47, when a
satelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
picked up an emergency position radio beacon. A search and rescue mission was quickly organised, with
lifeboatThe meaning of lifeboat or motor lifeboat, for the purposes of this article, is that of 'a shore-based boat designed with special features for searching for, rescuing and saving the lives of people in peril at sea in inshore waters'. This is in contrast to a survival craft type of lifeboat that is...
s from
WorkingtonWorkington is a town and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport....
,
Douglasright|thumb|250px|Loch Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
and
RamseyRamsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
and
Port St. MaryPort St Mary . The village takes its name from the Chapel of St Mary which overlooks Chapel Bay. It is a coastal village in the south of the Isle of Man. Its population is 1,913 according to the 2006 census....
being launched. Helicopters flew out from
RAF PrestwickRAF Prestwick is the home of the "Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre ", which is located within the civilian Scottish and Oceanic Area Control Centre, , at the NATS air traffic control facility at Prestwick, in Ayrshire, Scotland.The Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre , or "ScATCC " as it is...
and
RAF ValleyRAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, less formally known as Anglesey Airport. It provides fast-jet training using the BAE Hawk....
and a helicopter from the
Irish Air CorpsThe Irish Air Corps provides the air defence function of Oglaigh na hÉireann , in support of the Army and Naval Service, together with roles such as Search and Rescue and the Ministerial Air Transport Service...
and a fixed wing aircraft from the
Royal Ulster ConstabularyThe Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary , the Belfast Borough Police Force and the Londonderry Borough Police Force...
joined in the search. Larger vessels also joined the search, with
RFA BayleafRFA Bayleaf is a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary....
and the
Ben-my-Chree, the
Isle of Man ferryThe Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2005....
moving into the area to help. The search was called off at dusk on 12 January, when two unopened liferafts were found. The
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
was called in to assist and the
Sandown classThe Sandown class is a class of minehunter originally built for the British Royal Navy . Sandown-class vessels also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy...
minehunterMinehunters are mine countermeasure vessels that actively detect and destroy individual naval mines. Minesweepers, on the other hand, clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of mines...
HMS SandownHMS Sandown was a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. She was decommissioned in 2005.-Career:HMS Sandown was built by Vosper Thornycroft and launched on 16 April 1988 by the Duchess of Gloucester, as the lead ship of the 12 ship class of Sandown class minehunters...
began to search the sea bed.
Sandown eventually located the wreck of the
Solway Harvester on 15 January lying in 115 feet (35 m) of water, off the Isle of Man. The bodies of all seven of the crew were found on board.
Cause of sinking
The
Marine Accident Investigation BranchThe Marine Accident Investigation Branch established in 1989 following the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster is a branch of the United Kingdom Department for Transport which can investigate any accident occurring in UK waters, regardless of the nationality of the vessel involved, and accidents...
launched an enquiry to determine the cause of sinking. In a report published in 2003, they concluded that the
Solway Harvester’s fish room had flooded, making her unstable and eventually causing her to capsize. The report found that there were critical maintenance issues, including a flood alarm that did not work and a missing hatch cover. Water had drained unnoticed into the fish room through the deck scuttles, which had not been covered. The pump was blocked and the broken bilge alarm meant that the flooding went unnoticed by the crew.
As the weather worsened to a Force 9
GaleA gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong. The U.S. Government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34 to 47 knots of sustained surface winds...
, the
Solway Harvester began to roll. Already unstable, she was eventually rolling at an angle of between 30 and 40 degrees. More water entered through the open deck scuttles, whilst the cargo shifted to starboard. Water became trapped on the main deck and continued to flood the fish room. The design of the
Solway Harvester should have allowed her to return to rolling at 20 to 25 degrees, but the flooding had caused her to lose this stability. She continued to roll further and further on to her side, eventually capsizing suddenly.
The
Solway Harvester was salvaged and raised in a £1 million operation funded by the government of the Isle of Man. Relatives of the victims later accused the
Scottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood" , is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
of not doing enough to support the salvage operation. Richard Gidney was put on trial for manslaughter following the report, but the case collapsed in 2005.
The boat sat in the harbour in
Douglas, Isle of Manright|thumb|250px|Loch Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
, as evidence during the inquest into the loss of the crew. A memorial was erected on
Douglas HeadDouglas Head is a rocky point on the Isle of Man overlooking Douglas Bay and harbour. Views extend to include Snaefell Mountain and Laxey-General:...
on the Isle of Man, in memory of those lost aboard the
Solway Harvester.
On 8th November 2008, Coroner Michael Moyle ruled the deaths of all seven crew members as accidental. Parts of his report were heavily critical of
Solway Harvester owner Richard Gidney over the ship's standard of maintenance and equipment, as well as its past safety record.