Missing family were on final fishing trip

Three generations of a family missing at sea were on a final fishing trip before their boat was to be decommissioned, it was revealed today.

Three generations of a family missing at sea were on a final fishing trip before their boat was to be decommissioned, it has been revealed.

Michael Greene, his son and 12-year-old grandson, both also called Michael, disappeared while fishing for prawns off the Co Down coast.

Alex Slater, from the Fishermen’s Mission in Kilkeel, said the family was devastated.

‘‘They are traumatised. There is no other way to describe it.

‘‘Their boat was due to be taken off the sea. That’s why the wee boy went out with his grandfather.’’

The alarm was raised around 4am today after the boat had been reported missing in the Irish Sea.

Coastguards mounted a huge search operation but 24 hours after they left the fishing village of Kilkeel there was still no trace of their small vessel, the Tullaghmurry Lass.

Mr Slater said the family were still living in hope that the three would be found alive.

‘‘It’s very difficult at the moment. There are all sorts of emotions coming into play,’’ he said.

The fishing village in Kilkeel has been stunned by the boat’s disappearance two weeks after another one sunk in nearby Carlingford Lough where one man drowned.

‘‘It’s so hard to take it in after the last tragedy,’’ said Mr Slater.

Michael Junior had been on half-term school holidays, according to another family friend, who said: ‘‘Obviously everyone’s desperately concerned but we are still living in hope.’’

All three come from the tiny close-knit village of Ballymartin between Annalong and Kilkeel.

Mr Slater said Michael Senior and his son had been fishing all their lives. ‘‘They are a well-established and experienced fishing family.’’

A Coastguard spokesman confirmed the incident had been upgraded from an emergency to a Mayday situation.

‘‘We consider there to be grave and imminent danger,’’ he said.

There are reports that search crews have located an oil slick and are using underwater detection equipment to try to find the craft.

Hopes were fading fast that the three would be found alive.

A Kilkeel source said: ‘‘The boat would have been well equipped with radio equipment so it would have definitely been in touch by now.

‘‘The fact that we can’t raise them means it isn’t looking good.’’

A 1,000 square mile area around the Co Down coast has been saturated with lifeboats, helicopters and fishing crews desperately searching for the crew.

Lifeboats from Port St Mary and Peel on the Isle of Man have been drafted in to help Co Down crews comb the area, while an extra helicopter from Anglesey and a Wessex from RAF Aldergrove have been sent to the area.

More than 25 fishing boats from Kilkeel have been helping in the search, while an RAF Nimrod Maritime Surveillance Aircraft has provided assistance.

The spokesman said there was increasing concerns about the safety of the missing fishermen.

‘‘The vessel has been missing for more than 24 hours and it’s a matter of trying to get contact with it.

‘‘All attempts so far have failed.’’

He added that weather conditions at sea had been very good and the boat, which was fishing for prawns, was carrying safety equipment.

‘‘The conditions weather-wise have certainly been in our favour and we have a number of units now in a very large search area, approximately 1,000 square miles.

‘‘Hopefully we will be able to locate them safe and well.’’