British sailor dies in boating accident

A British sailor died after he fell under a boat and suffered severe neck injuries from the vessel’s propellers in the Caribbean, the Royal Navy said today.

Marine engineering mechanic Michael McCarthy, 21, from Tyne and Wear, fell from a private boat as it prepared to dock at Kingstown, the capital of St Vincent, on Saturday.

Mr McCarthy and fellow crew members of HMS Manchester were returning from a diving trip when the tragedy happened, a Navy spokesman said.

The spokesman added: “He suffered severe neck injuries from the vessel’s propellers, and despite attention from the medical officer and first aid team on board, he was pronounced dead at the scene.”

HMS Manchester’s commanding officer, Commander Richard Ingram, said crew members were all “shocked and deeply saddened” by the incident.

He said: “It is a terrible tragedy for Michael’s family, friends and colleagues.

“The ship’s company is a close-knit community. We will all feel this loss and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

Police in St Vincent said the private boat was less than 100 metres from HMS Manchester, a Type 42 destroyer, when Mr McCarthy fell from the back and was sucked under the water.

It was unclear whether the sailor suffered cuts from the propellers of the private boat or of HMS Manchester. Police said he went under the private boat, but the Navy said he was injured by HMS Manchester’s propellers.

A police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death was now under way.

It is understood that Mr McCarthy’s body will be flown back to Britain in the next few days.

The mechanic joined the Navy in 1998 and had served with HMS Manchester since August 2001.

HMS Manchester was visiting the former British colony as part of celebrations surrounding the country’s 24th anniversary of independence.

The ship’s 235 crew members participated in a military parade during the celebrations.

HMS Manchester has been taking part in anti-drug operations in the Caribbean since August and will leave the region in November.

The ship left Kingstown today for an undisclosed location in the Caribbean after a five-day stay.

St Vincent and the Grenadines, part of the Windward Islands, became a British colony in 1783 after being under French control. It achieved independence in October 1979.