There was no lookout on duty when the British-registered trawler Arosa hit rocks off the Connemara coast on Tuesday night with the loss of 12 lives, an inquest into the tragedy heard in Galway yesterday.
The only survivor, Mr Ricardo Arias Garcia (24), told the inquest that a hole in the refrigerated area of the hull had been discovered nine days before the incident and had been repaired in Scotland.
However, the crew discovered the hole was still letting in small amounts of water once the 25-metre fishing vessel had put to sea again and the vessel's engineer fitted two steel plates reinforced with concrete to seal it. It still let in small amounts of water but this was being pumped out.
Mr Garcia said he believed the hole had not contributed to the tragedy.
Questioned by the Galway West coroner, Dr Ciaran McLoughlin, he said that on the night of October 3rd all the crew was asleep except for the first mate, Mr Eugenio Diaz Carracelas, who was on the bridge when the vessel hit rocks. Normally a second person would act as watchman, but nobody was filling that post on the night.
The Arosa had been fishing 250 miles off Donegal on Tuesday when Capt Raymond Parlo Junkal decided to head for shelter in Galway Bay after hearing stormy weather was forecast.
The vessel ran on to a notorious rocky outcrop off the Carna coastline at 4 a.m. Six bodies have been taken from the water and a search continues for the remaining six.
All on board had gone to bed by 12.30 a.m. except for the first mate who was steering the vessel. Mr Garcia said he remembered hearing a loud bang which he thought was a wave hitting the vessel at around 4 a.m. A minute later, the Arosa was being smashed up against rocks.
He and the other crew went on deck. The others put on life jackets. He decided not to because he knew he was near land. He felt a life jacket would restrict his movements in the water.
He said the lights and engine had cut out when the vessel hit rocks. It was repeatedly smashed against the rocks and began to list. It became wedged between two large rocks. Waves were crashing over the deck.
He said he and the other men, including the captain, were hanging on to railings on deck. The three African crewmen who are still missing launched two life rafts, but nobody got into them, as the wind and waves carried them too far from the vessel.
He said he saw his fellow crewmen being swept away one by one as waves crashed on deck. He too was eventually swept away. The last thing he saw was three men clinging to the bridge.
The three Africans went towards the front of the ship and that was the last he saw of them. He ended up in the water beside the vessel and managed to come up for air. He tried to get back on to the vessel but was tossed about and was smashed up against rocks. He managed to grab a big rock and scrambled on to it. Minutes later he saw the lights of another boat and heard the rotors of a helicopter which managed to winch him to safety.
Mr Garcia said he remained conscious at all times and only suffered minor cuts and bruises.
He said Capt Junkal was also winched into the helicopter. He was unconscious and the crew began CPR treatment but to no avail.
In reply to Dr McLoughlin, Mr Garcia said there was navigational equipment on board which could detect natural hazards along the coastline, including dangerous rocks.
Dr McLoughlin returned a verdict of death by asphyxia due to accidental drowning.
Relatives of the dead travelled from Spain for the inquests. A brother of Capt Junkal said he disagreed with the deposition taken from the sole survivor as it had criminal implications and he objected to the format of the hearing.
The coroner explained that it was not the role of the inquest to apportion blame and if the relative wished to make a complaint there were other forums in which to do so.
Relatives were taken to Rossaveal yesterday afternoon which is near the scene of the tragedy. There they met the co-ordinator of the recovery operation which is continuing for the remaining seamen.
The vessel, which was built in 1974, normally fished for white fish off the Irish and British coastlines for 10 to 12 days before offloading its cargo in Spain.