Ship surveyor probes fishing boat deaths

A ship surveyor was appointed today to assess how a boat sank leading to the deaths of four men and a boy, including three generations of the same family, amid growing indications that a faulty water pump caused the fishing trip tragedy.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) appointed the experienced engineer to examine the Pisces which went down on Sunday morning in foggy conditions about a mile from Fethard-on-Sea, in Co Wexford.

The inspector would report back and make recommendations on how to avoid a similar tragedy occurring in the future, the Dublin-based MCIB said.

The body of 14-year-old Mark Doyle was found 150 metres from the wreck yesterday by garda and Navy divers, about 24 hours after the bodies of his father Seamus Doyle, 33, and grandfather Jim Cooney, a 60-year-old undertaker, were pulled from the water.

Two other men, John Cullen, 45, and Martin Roche, 66, of Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, also died.

All are thought to have drowned although the results of post-mortem examinations were not yet available, police said.

The survivors - four boys and youths and the boat’s skipper Paddy Barron - have been released from hospital and were being interviewed by police as part of their investigation.

Divers raised the Pisces from the sea bed, 13 metres below the surface, late last night using buoyancy aides and compressed air. It was towed to Waterford Harbour, where it was being examined.

But there were no signs of damage, fuelling speculation that a water pump was to blame.

It is thought that the pump, which circulated water around the engine in order to cool it, malfunctioned and failed to pump the water back overboard.

With the engine out of sight below deck there was no time to bail out and the boat went down within about 20 minutes of a distress call being made.

Secretary of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, Seamus Nevin, said: ‘‘Jim Snelgrove, a very experienced engineer and ship surveyor, is conducting the investigation on behalf of the board.

‘‘If and when we are in a position to, we will endeavour to report on the matter.

‘‘The report will be on the technical and physical causes and it will make recommendations which we will promote to have acted upon by other boat users.’’

He added: ‘‘It will not apportion blame and it will not pre-empt any other action but the findings of the report will be available to any other inquiries, investigations or cases that might arise.’’

Meanwhile the remains of Mark Doyle, his father and grandfather, will be removed to a church in New Ross, Co Wexford, ahead of burial on Thursday.

The funeral of Mr Cullen will also be held on Thursday and Mr Roche will be buried tomorrow.