Trawler sinks off west Cork coast after crew airlifted to safety
The tug boat Nomad passing through the Dursey Sound as it returns to Castletownbere Harbour after the fishing vessel Ellie Adhamh it was monitoring sunk two miles north of Bull Rock at the entrance to Kenmare Bay. Picture: Dan Linehan
A stricken fishing vessel off the west Cork coast — the crew of which were evacuated last night — has sunk.
The Ellie Adamh went under approximately two miles north of the Bull Rock at the entrance to Kenmare Bay earlier this afternoon.
The ship’s seven-man crew were airlifted from the boat by rescue helicopter 117 last night.
Support for the evacuation was provided by LÉ George Bernard Shaw and Castletownbere RNLI all-weather lifeboat.
Thankfully crew were winched to safety last night..huge team effort by @IrishCoastGuard @naval_service @RNLI @CastletownRNLI Well done to all 👏👏🙏🙏🇮🇪🇮🇪@simoncoveney#GEORGEBERNARDSHAW pic.twitter.com/0tARCEAAGK
— T O'Halloran 🇮🇪🇵🇸🇺🇦 (@TomOHalloran10) March 28, 2021
Valentia coastguard had been closely monitoring the Ellie Adamh overnight as it drifted in a northerly direction.
A local tug boat was hired this morning to evaluate how the vessel might be towed to safety.
However, from early this morning, the ship’s condition began to deteriorate quickly.
It eventually sank under 80m of water earlier this afternoon.
A Coast Guard spokesperson expressed relief that there was no loss of life during the rescue operation.
The spokesperson also paid particular tribute to the Naval Service ship LÉ George Bernard Shaw, Castletownbere RNLI, Coast Guard Helicopter crews, owners and their representatives.
The rescue crew meanwhile are understood to be in good spirits.
“In light of the prevailing conditions the evacuation proved to be extremely challenging and the successful outcome is testimony to the skill and professionalism of all involved,” the spokesperson said.
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