Families have waited for vessel’s raising since January

THE lifting of the Pere Charles marked the culmination of a struggle which began on January 10 for the families of crewmen Andriy Dyrin, 32, Billy O’Connor, 52, Tom Hennessy, 30, Pat Hennessy, 48, and Pat Coady, 27, when the trawler sank while on its way back from a successful day’s fishing in the Celtic Sea.

Just a few miles from its destination at Dunmore East, it sank about 3km from Hook Head following a rapid deterioration in weather conditions.

A 17-day search failed to yield any bodies, as did a navy dive in difficult circumstances. Since then, the families of the men mounted a campaign to get the trawler lifted and threatened to run candidates in Waterford, Wexford and Kerry — home of the Hennessys — in the general election.

However, following meetings with then-transport minister — and TD for Waterford — Martin Cullen and ministers of state Pat the Cope Gallagher and John Browne, Mr Cullen announced in April that he was giving the go-ahead for salvage operations on the Pere Charles and the Maggie B.

Following another delay as the Department of Transport sorted out various “technical difficulties”, the project eventually went to tender and, in early September, the Government revealed that Irish Diving Contractors Ltd were the successful bidders.

Preparations for the salvage job began immediately off the south-east coast, with the company setting up equipment and — last week — bringing the crane barge over from the Netherlands.