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DELAYS in getting to the scene of a fishing tragedy off the West Coast of Scotland last year were unlikely to have affected the outcome of the accident, an investigation has found.
The scallop dredger Aquila, which was from Cumbria on the West Coast of northern England, capsized off Ardnamurchan Point, in the west Highlands, last July.
The men who died were the skipper and owner Tony Hayton, aged 45, and Peter Hilton and Thomas Sanderson, both aged 52 and who were all from Cumbria. One man who has not been named survived the tragedy. All were described as experienced fishermen.
The report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch found Aquila's trawling equipment had become snagged on the seabed. which caused the boat to roll to one side and allow water in.. Although the skipper attempted to take action, the boat then rapidly capsized as it was hit by a series of large waves.
Clyde coastguard ordered a search and rescue helicopter, but then realised the accident had occurred outside its area of operation. Control was transferred to Stornoway coastguard and a Prestwick-based helicopter that ready to take off was stood down.
The report said: "Had the Prestwick-based helicopter been authorised to take off at this time, based on actual flight times, it would have arrived on scene 23 minutes earlier than the eventual arrival time of the first helicopter. The decision to stand down the helicopter was regrettable and premature." It added: "While it is unlikely that the delays in tasking searchand rescue resources affected the outcome of this tragic accident, in differing circumstances they might have had very serious consequences."
The report also found the Aquila had met the stability standard for larger fishing vessels when it was built, but since then a significant amount of ballast and additional fishing gear had been added, which meant at the time of the accident she no longer met those requirements.
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