Fatal fishing boat was not stable enough and life raft did not inflate, says report
Two fishermen who died at sea were on a boat that was not stable enough and whose life raft did not inflate, a report has revealed.
Robert Morley, 39, from Newhaven, east Sussex, was onboard the scallop dredger Joanna C when it sank in gale force winds in November 2020.
His crew mate, 26-year-old Adam Harper, also died. The ship's captain Dave Bickerstaff was found clinging to a lifebuoy.
Today a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the accident happened when a dredgebar on the boat became snagged on a line of whelk pots, causing it to heel, or tilt, to the starboard side.
The MAIB’s investigation found that modifications to the boat had reduced Joanna C’s previously good stability and increased its vulnerability to capsize.
Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, said: "Joanna C capsized because it had insufficient reserves of stability to recover from the heel created when the fishing gear became snagged.
"This happened because of modifications to the vessel that had severely eroded its stability characteristics, and this went undetected."
He added: "Unfortunately, Joanna C’s ‘float-free’ life raft arrangements did not work as expected. Although the life raft was released from its cradle as the vessel sank, it did not come to the surface and inflate.
"The MAIB’s investigation found that the uninflated liferaft had insufficient buoyancy to trigger the gas inflation system, leaving it suspended mid-water still attached to the sunken vessel."
A safety flyer for the fishing industry, summarising the accident and detailing the safety lessons learned, has also been produced.
Robert's mother Jackie Woolford said she was surprised to learn from the report that her son had had a life jacket on but it had been taken off after it got tangled up with a lifebuoy rope.
She said: "That makes your stomach come up into your mouth and that is hard to accept."
WATCH: Jackie Woolford spoke to ITV News Meridian
She added: "I don't think any of us have really grieved and I don't think we will until after the inquest, because you have to keep reliving it all the time.
"Every day something comes up and you are right back to that first day again."
The Joanna C capsized in dark and windy conditions, on Saturday 21 November, sending out a distress signal at 6am.
The report said Robert, who was on deck, was thrown into the sea, but the skipper and Adam were initially trapped inside the floating, upturned hull, before the skipper managed to escape.
He found Robert in the water clinging to a lifebuoy and tangled in an orange rope attached to the lifebuoy. He tried to untangle Robert, during which his lifejacket got removed and he drifted away, leaving the skipper holding onto the lifebuoy.
Adam's body was recovered days later but it was weeks before Robert's body was found.
Robert and Adam's families raised £20,000 to build a memorial in Newhaven.