Boat involved in double fatality in poor state, inquiry finds

The lives of two fishermen from Northern Ireland could have been saved if their poorly repaired boat had been fitted with basic safety equipment, an investigation has found.

Armagh anglers David Warnock (27), and Daryl Burke (30), died after the vessel they had borrowed for a camping and fishing trip on Lough Ree, Co Roscommon, sank last year.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board found there were holes in the 4.2 metre flat-bottomed craft.

A crucial joint between the deck and the hull was in poor condition, while several large drill holes were found on the upper side of the boat, known as the gunwale.

Investigators said the transom, or back of the boat, was poorly repaired after suffering previous damage.

“It had several holes in it, possibly as a result of fitting different types of outboard brackets over the lifetime of the vessel,” it said in an official report into the tragedy.

It is believed these holes were 50mm below water level at the time the men set out on the boat from Hodson Bay towards their camping site and were letting up to three litres of water into the boat every minute.

Sank quickly

A survivor said no significant wave hit the boat and that it sank very quickly from the stern of the vessel.

While there were three people on board, the safety equipment consisted of two life-jackets.

“Had the boat been equipped with flares and a VHF radio it is possible that the rescue services would have arrived at the scene earlier and perhaps have saved the lives of the two casualties,” the investigation found.

Mr Burke, from Portadown, left behind three young sons and his pregnant wife Louise (28), who later gave birth to their first daughter.

Mr Burke and Mr Warnock, from Richhill, and a third friend, 60-year-old John Trimble, who survived, were among a group of six friends using two boats on a fishing trip on March 20th, 2014.

They were members of the Portadown Pikers angling club.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board said the borrowed boat was not registered with Waterways Ireland, as it should have been under bylaws.

Unnoticed water

The water seeping into the vessel would have gone unnoticed at first as it collected in “void spaces”, the report found.

As it took on more water, more holes would have become immersed in the lake water and, combined with the spray and waves, this would likely have hastened the flooding of the vessel, it is believed.

“This would have led to catastrophic flooding which would cause the vessel’s stern to submerge,” it said.

“The vessel would have sunk almost instantaneously thereafter.”

The investigators have called on Waterways Ireland to erect signs warning boat users of local dangers, of the necessity of life jackets and having basic safety equipment.

They also urged enforcement measures to ensure all vessels using Lough Ree are safe.

Press Association