South Down MP Margaret Ritchie with the owner and skipper of the Karen, an Ardglass prawn trawler which was almost dragged down by a Royal Navy submarine last April, have met with the Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt MP, Minister of State and Armed Forces, in the Commons. The meeting over a coffee in the Commons restaurant preceded the debate on the floor of the house on the submarine incident.
The meeting with the minister took place with the NIFPO (Northern Ireland Fish Producing Organisation) chief executive Dick James included to discuss the incident 17 miles off Ardglass in which a Royal Navy submarine snagged the net of the Karen, a 56-feet prawn trawler.
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Pictured at Westminster are from left, Paul Murphy, Karen Skipper, Jim Shannon, Strangford MP, Dick James, NIFPO Chief Executive, South Down MP Margaret Ritchie, and Tom Wills, boat owner.[/caption]
It was through questions that Ms Ritchie tabled to the Minister that it was revealed that the Royal Navy submarine, the Ambush, a hunter class nuclear submarine, was responsible.
Speaking after the meeting, Ms Ritchie said: “The owner of the KAREN, Tom Wills, the skipper, Paul Murphy, the CEO of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation, Dick James, and I met with Minister Mordaunt this afternoon to get to the bottom of exactly what happened in Ardglass on 15 April and to discuss compensation for the owner and crew.
“This was a deeply traumatic event for Paul Murphy and his crew, which involved immense mental and emotion stress as well as a loss of earnings. This stress and anxiety was made all the worse by the fact that the submarine did not surface, as agreed protocol dictates, and that it took several months for the Royal Navy to identify the submarine responsible as its own.
“I welcome the Minister’s acknowledgement that the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence are fully responsible and for her apology and promise of speedy compensation. She also assured us that protocols have been altered as a result of this incident.
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The Karen limps back to port in Ardglass lucky to be afloat after netting a submarine last April.[/caption]
“However, questions remain around why the submarine did not surface are still unanswered and I will continue to work with Tom and Paul to ensure they are fully compensated and that no other fishermen are subjected to what the Karen crew have gone through.”
Karen Owner Says It Was A Useful Meeting
Tom Wills, owner of the Karen, said: “It was a useful meeting. The MOD accepted responsibility finally and now we have to move on. My crew were very badly shaken in this event and came close to losing their lives.
“It was only the quick action of the skipper Paul Murphy who made sure the wire ropes were released that saved the day. They could al have been drowned and probably no-one would initially have known what caused the accident.
“There are still denials by the MOD over issues such as the protocols, and the Karen’s net being cut when they deny this, but I hope they have learned something from this near tragedy.”
Shannon Raises Submarine Issue In Commons
Jim Shannon MP for Strangford raised the issues of submarines and fishing fleets in the House of Commons last week.
In the debate which Mr Shannon has been trying to secure for months, he outlined the situation with the Karen saying: “On 15 April 2015, an Ardglass prawn trawler, was fishing in the Irish sea when it was almost pulled under the water by a Royal Navy submarine. The four-man crew deserve high praise, because it was only as a result of their quick thinking that the Karen did not meet a fate similar to that of the Antares and her crew in 1990. Not only was the trawler dragged backwards at 10 knots and almost pulled underneath the water, but it was almost pulled apart.
“The boat’s hull was almost destroyed. This was not a simple snagging as it was initially described. Not only was the net found on the seabed separated from the bridle, but the saddle connecting the bridle had also been cut off. What is more, the full details have not been made known by the Minister, the MOD or the Royal Navy. We were initially informed by the Royal Navy that none of its submarines were in the Irish Sea, and the Minister told Parliament that a UK vessel was not responsible. That has changed in the past week or 10 days.”
Mr Shannon went on to outline the protocols that should have been followed but were not observed he argues. He said:”These were critical factors that Mr Shannon said must be addressed.”
Mr Shannon asked about compensation as the Karen was damaged, and he also asked what, if any new protocols had been made and who would be consulted from the fishing industry about this. Finally, he asked what steps were being taken to repair the strained relationship between the Royal Navy and the fishing industry as trust and mutual respect is key to safety.
Karen Skipper Has Mixed Feelings
The skipper of the Karen, Paul Murphy, said: “While I am grateful the the MOD finally accepted responsibility for the incident, it has raised a number of questions which we tried to raise but dod not get answers too. The Minister certainly did listen to what we were saying and hopefully in time this will further be clarified.
“However, I think the report from the Marine Accident Investigation Bureau (MAIB) will put this all in perspective. We have been told that the Ambush, the submarine that caught our nets, was on patrol and its activities are ‘classified’. But why did it take so long for this issue to be publicly admitted by the MOD?
“Also, our net which was found by another Ardglass trawler clearly had the big boards and metal shackles etc cut off presumably by divers.
“My crew including myself are still traumatised by this incident. I’m basically very anxious about fishing in deep water at night. And I’m afraid to lie down and let someone else take the wheel. This was a very scary incident and we were very very lucky to have survived.
“Skippers should now be looking to fixing up their nets with a quick release mechanism and not attaching the net to the wire ropes with shackles but adding a link with rope or something that will ultimately snap under the sudden pressure of a submarine. But I expect the MAIB report to maybe make this recommendation or possibly the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry). It would at least give us a fighting chance of surviving a submarine encounter.”
NIFPO Boss Says Discrepancies Still Need Answered
NIFPO Chief Executive Dick James said: “We met Minister Mordant for a cup of coffee in the Commons restaurant and she listened to the background to the incident of the near sinking of the Karen. She accepted this was the responsibility of the MOD.
“We then listened to the debate in the chamber at the Commons where Down MP’s Margaret Ritchie and Jim Shannon both addressed the issue.
“There will be a meeting between the Royal Navy and the Marine Accident Investigation Bureau on the 24th of this month and I expect that the MAIB will take them to task. A number of discrepancies exist in the MoD’s interpretation of events and this will likely be examined in detail.
“The HMS Ambush that was involved in the incident has a listening capability to detect sounds 3000 miles away. It it were near a trawler it should have come up to periscope depth at 50 yards and certainly surfaced at 1000 yards. The established protocols were not adhered to. It seems that the Ambush ‘mistook’ the Karen for a merchant ship. This is odd that it was in the middle of a fleet of prawn boats at the time. It just looks as though the protocols have been disregarded in this instance.
“There is another naval exercise in the Irish Sea starting on 22 October, so again fishing boats will need to be cautious and ensure they have all safety gear and procedures in place.
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