The Solway Harvester is a scallop dredge

Scallop dredge

A fishing dredge, also known as a scallop dredge, oyster dredge, etc, is a kind of dredge which is towed along the bottom of the sea by a fishing boat in order to collect a targeted edible bottom-dwelling species. The gear is used to fish for scallops, oysters and other species of clams, crabs, and...

r from Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...

, Scotland which sank off the coast of Ramsey, Isle of Man

Ramsey, Isle of Man

Ramsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...

 in heavy storms on 11 January 2000. Following salvage, the damaged ship was taken to Douglas, Isle of Man

Douglas, Isle of Man

right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...

, where she remains as of August 2011.

Career and sinking

The Solway Harvester was launched in 1992. An automated scallop dredger, she was fitted with sections along the sides which would rotate out and upwards to deposit the catch on the deck. She was 70 ft (21m) long and had accommodation for eight on board, plus a workshop, ice machine and storage for the catch. She was owned by Richard Gidney and operated under the command of her skipper, Andrew (Craig) Mills. Her crew were all from the Isle of Whithorn

Isle of Whithorn

Isle of Whithorn is one of the most southerly villages and seaports in Scotland, lying on the coast, north east of Burrow Head, about three miles from Whithorn. Whithorn, , is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, with which the Isle of Whithorn is frequently incorrectly amalgamated or...

 area of Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...

.

On her final voyage, the Solway Harvester sailed from Kirkcudbright in the early hours of 10 January 2000. She headed into the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

 to harvest scallop

Scallop

A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...

s from the queen scallop

Queen scallop

The Queen Scallop, scientific name Aequipecten opercularis, is a medium-sized species of scallop, an edible marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, the scallops.-Description:...

 grounds. There were seven crew members aboard, two were as young as 17. They remained off the grounds until the afternoon of the following day, 11 January. Having collected 150 bags of scallops, they hauled in their gear and began the return voyage. The weather meanwhile had begun to worsen, and skipper Craig Mills decided to seek shelter in Ramsey Bay

Ramsey Bay

Ramsey Bay is a large bay at the northeastern end of the Isle of Man. It runs for 18 kilometres from the Point of Ayre at the island's northern tip to Maughold Head...

, Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

. Mills made a final phone call at 17:29.

Nothing further was heard until 17:47, when a satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....

 picked up an emergency position radio beacon. A search and rescue mission was quickly organised, with lifeboat

Lifeboat (rescue)

A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...

s from Workington

Workington

Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...

, Douglas

Douglas, Isle of Man

right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...

 and Ramsey

Ramsey, Isle of Man

Ramsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...

 and Port St Mary being launched. Helicopters flew out from RAF Prestwick

RAF Prestwick

RAF Prestwick is the home of the "Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre ", and is located within the NATS air traffic control facility at Prestwick, in Ayrshire, Scotland....

 and RAF Valley

RAF Valley

RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, and which is also used as Anglesey Airport. It provides fast-jet training using the BAE Hawk and provides training for aircrew working with Search and Rescue. Unofficially the motto for RAF Valley is 'One Valley, Training...

 and a helicopter from the Irish Air Corps

Irish Air Corps

The Air Corps is the air component of the Defence Forces of Ireland providing support to the Army and Naval Service, together with non-military air services such as search and rescue and the Ministerial Air Transport Service...

 and a fixed wing aircraft from the Royal Ulster Constabulary

Royal Ulster Constabulary

The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...

 joined in the search. Larger vessels also joined the search, with RFA Bayleaf

RFA Bayleaf (A109)

RFA Bayleaf was a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.-Construction:Bayleaf was one of four ships ordered from Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in 1973, and laid down in 1975 as the Hudson Sound. When the ordering company ran into financial difficulties, the ships were laid up, and...

 and the Ben-my-Chree, the Isle of Man ferry

Isle of Man Steam Packet

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, celebrating its 180th anniversary in 2010....

 moving into the area to help. The search was called off at dusk on 12 January, when two unopened liferafts were found. The Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 was called in to assist and the Sandown class

Sandown class minehunter

The Sandown class is a class of minehunter originally built for the British Royal Navy). Sandown-class vessels also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy...

 minehunter

Minehunter

Minehunters are mine countermeasure vessels that actively detect and destroy individual naval mines. Minesweepers, on the other hand, clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of mines...

 HMS Sandown

HMS Sandown (M101)

HMS Sandown was a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. She was decommissioned in 2005.-Career:HMS Sandown was built by Vosper Thornycroft and launched on 16 April 1988 by the Duchess of Gloucester, as the lead ship of the 12 ship class of Sandown class minehunters...

 began to search the sea bed. Sandown eventually located the wreck of the Solway Harvester on 15 January lying in 115 feet (35 m) of water, 11 miles (17.7 km) off the Isle of Man. The bodies of all seven of the crew were found on board.

Cause of sinking

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch

Marine Accident Investigation Branch

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch established in 1989 following the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster is a branch of the United Kingdom Department for Transport which can investigate any accident occurring in UK waters, regardless of the nationality of the vessel involved, and accidents...

 launched an inquiry to determine the cause of sinking. In a report published in 2003, they concluded that the Solway Harvester’s fish room had flooded, making her unstable and eventually causing her to capsize. The report found that there were critical maintenance issues, including a flood alarm that did not work and a missing hatch cover. Water had drained unnoticed into the fish room through the deck scuttles, which had not been covered. The pump was blocked and the broken bilge alarm meant that the flooding went unnoticed by the crew.

As the weather worsened to a Force 9 Gale

Gale

A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...

, the Solway Harvester began to roll. Already unstable, she was eventually rolling at an angle of between 30 and 40 degrees. More water entered through the open deck scuttles, whilst the cargo shifted to starboard. Water became trapped on the main deck and continued to flood the fish room. The design of the Solway Harvester should have allowed her to return to rolling at 20 to 25 degrees, but the flooding had caused her to lose this stability. She continued to roll further and further on to her side, eventually capsizing suddenly.

The Solway Harvester was salvaged and raised in a £1 million operation funded by the government of the Isle of Man. Relatives of the victims later accused the Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

 of not doing enough to support the salvage operation. Richard Gidney was put on trial for manslaughter following the report, but the case collapsed in 2005.

The boat sat in the harbour in Douglas, Isle of Man, as evidence during the inquest into the loss of the crew. She is still moored in Douglas harbour, 1 February 2011. A memorial was erected on Douglas Head

Douglas Head

Douglas Head is a rocky point on the Isle of Man overlooking Douglas Bay and harbour. Views extend to include Snaefell Mountain and Laxey-General:...

 on the Isle of Man, in memory of those lost aboard the Solway Harvester.

On 8 November 2008, Coroner Michael Moyle ruled the deaths of all seven crew members as accidental. Parts of his report were heavily critical of Solway Harvester owner Richard Gidney over the ship's standard of maintenance and equipment, as well as her past safety record.

Media interest

In addition to news items, the Solway Harvester has featured in the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 documentary series "Coast"

Coast (TV series)

Coast is a BBC documentary series first broadcast on BBC Two television in 2005. A second series started on 26 October 2006, a third in early 2007 and a fourth in mid-2009...

(series 5, episode 1, first broadcast in the UK on 25 July 2010).