A French trawler that went down off the coast of Cornwall, killing 5 crew, sank after snagging on the seabed, an inquest has discovered.
The destiny of the Bugaled Breizh has been shrouded in thriller because it sank off the Lizard Peninsula in 2004 in comparatively beneficial situations and with no obvious defects to the vessel.
The our bodies of skipper Yves Marie Gloaguen, 45, and Pascal Lucien Le Floch, 49, have been discovered within the preliminary search and rescue operation and introduced again to the UK.
The physique of a 3rd man, Patrick Gloaguen, 35, was recovered throughout a salvage operation to boost the Bugaled Breizh however was taken to France, and his dying was not topic of the inquest.
The our bodies of the 2 remaining crew members, Georges Lemetayer, 60, and Eric Guillamet, 42, have been by no means discovered.
It has lengthy been steered {that a} submarine might have develop into entangled within the Bugaled Breizh’s trawling gear, inflicting it to capsize.
The Bugaled Breizh, pictured proper, sank off the coast of The Lizard in 2004 in comparatively calm situations amid claims it had been sunk by a submarine
Family members of the crew together with Thierry Lemetayor, son of Georges Lemetayer, who died on board the Bugaled Breizh have been within the Excessive Court docket in London at the moment the place the inquest heard the comparatively gentle harm to the vessel’s trawling gear was inconsistent with entanglement with a robust navy submarine
However in 2016, France’s prime judicial court docket confirmed the closure of its investigation after discovering no proof to help the idea.
However the inquest heard the comparatively gentle harm to the vessel’s trawling gear was inconsistent with entanglement with a robust navy submarine.
Decide Nigel Lickley QC, who acted as coroner for the inquest on the Excessive Court docket in London, mentioned it was ‘wholly fanciful’ that an unknown submarine had brought about the sinking.
‘The Bugaled Breizh had disappeared in a couple of minutes leaving little or no behind. I can perceive how ideas can develop afterwards,’ Decide Lickley mentioned.
‘I’ve little doubt that the very fact a submarine was seen on the scene – doing nothing apart from helping within the search – brought about hypothesis to run as to a submarine being concerned within the sinking.’
He mentioned Dutch, German and British submarines have been working within the English Channel, however have been ‘many miles away’ on the time of the sinking.
‘For the avoidance of doubt, I’m happy that no different recognized Allied submarine of any sort or class was within the space on the time and that features submarines from the US,’ he mentioned.
‘As far as the concept nonetheless persists at the moment, I reject it as wholly fanciful and unfounded.’
He added: ‘I’m happy that no non-Allied submarine was within the neighborhood of or wherever close to the Bugaled Breizh when she sank.’
Decide Lickley additionally dominated out a collision with one other vessel, a tough snag or mechanical failure.
‘I’m happy the reason for the sinking was a delicate snag of the trawl rig on the seabed, that together with different elements, brought about the Bugaled Breizh to heal to port, tackle water, transfer to starboard inflicting the crew quarters to flood and he or she sank quickly,’ he mentioned.
He gave the reason for dying for Mr Le Floch and Mr Gloaguen as drowning and recorded conclusions of accident.
The inquest heard that maritime investigators examined proof gathered by France’s marine accidents investigation physique and located one of many vessel’s trawl doorways – two sheets of steel used to maintain the mouth of the online open – had develop into buried in sediment and dust near a despair within the seabed.
It was seemingly the burden on the port trawl door had put an enormous quantity of strain on one of many cables, referred to as warps, connecting the online to the boat.
The strain might have brought about the vessel to lean closely, permitting a big quantity of water to be shipped on to the primary deck.
Claims a submarine had brought about the sinking had been investigated by the Royal Navy, the court docket heard.
Andrew Billings, who led the investigation, mentioned he had discovered no proof any submarine of any flag was inside 5 nautical miles of the trawler.
A senior naval officer informed the inquest it could be ‘unthinkable’ for a British or allied submarine crew to falsify information a couple of vessel’s location.
Commander Daniel Simmonds, who’s at present in command of every day operations of all UK submarines, mentioned such a transfer ‘would completely erode the belief on the highest ranges between allied companions’.