THREE FISHERMEN were rescued from their trawler off the southeast coast early yesterday just moments before the vessel sank.
The three men rescued from the fishing trawler Caoimh Ualaby Rosslare lifeboat were the skipper and owner of the vessel, Denis Whelan, from Castletownbere, and crew members Declan O'Shea, Portnagee, and Ryszard Rozenko, a Polish national living in Castletownbere.
The fishing vessel was on passage from Howth to Castletownbere when the drama unfolded.
The 23m long, 130-tonne vessel was southeast of Carnsore Point when the call was made to the emergency services.
Rosslare Harbour lifeboat received a call at 5.20am that the trawler was taking on water rapidly. The lifeboat was launched at 5.20am, arriving on the scene at 5.40am. David Moloney of Rosslare Harbour lifeboat services said the three crew members were rescued off the fishing vessel at 5.49am.
"The alarm was raised after crew members went to the engine room to carry out a check. The engine room was half-full of water. As a result the rescue services were alerted. Rosslare Harbour lifeboat, along with the Waterford rescue helicopter, arrived on the scene, while there were two merchant vessels also standing by.
"The three men were taken from the vessel. Within seconds the vessel sank, much more rapidly than expected. The three crew members were taken to Rosslare Harbour."
Local fishermen said the three rescued crewmen were very fortunate that the rescue services were on the scene so quickly.
Although shaken by their experience, the trawler's rescued crewmen were uninjured.