Skipper Donald Maclennan, 31, of Lewis, told a fatal accident inquiry he believed his creelboat MFV Achieve suffered a “catastrophic failure which led to the instantaneous flooding” of the vessel off Harris in February 2013.
Norman “Teddy” Macleod of Vatisker Park, Lewis, died in hospital after being immersed in the sea for 20 minutes.
At the inquiry held in Stornoway Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Donald Maclennan said, in hindsight, it was possible the forces of the boat coming down on a wave could have “weakened fastenings or some part of the hull structure which later failed.”
He explained they went out to lift crab pots west off Harris.
On the way back, none of crew wore their personal electronic man overboard devices
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The boat got a “jolt” from a slamming wave as they steamed to Leverburgh through “unsettled waters” with wind against tide.
Skipper believes creelboat suffered “catastrophic failure”
9 October 2014
About an hour later, the emergency happened with the boat listing more and more to starboard.
He saw a wave lap slowly over the gunwale and realised “we were in some sort of difficulty” but did not think they were in immediate danger.
He shouted to Norman who was below in his bunk.
Mr Maclennan said he thought the boat was flooded under deck but the engine space was dry.
He activated the engine-
He told his lawyer Clare Bone: “I couldn’t understand (why) there was no sign of water in the engine room if we were flooding.”
Ms Bone said he was “living on his wits” as the emergency occurred so fast.
The crew couldn’t check the fish hold -
But the bulkhead wall between the after hold and the engine room was not watertight so he expected any leak to seep into the engine room where there was a working bilge alarm, he said.
Procurator fiscal David Teale suggested: “If it had been functional it would have alerted people in the wheelhouse.”
He added: “That might have given you extra time to play with.”
Mr Maclennan believed the engineroom alarm would have activated at much the same time because the bilge ran the length of the vessel.
Back in the wheelhouse, he got onto the VHF radio to alert coastguards. Not realising the severity of the unfolding situation, he thought the boat could be saved if they got a salvage pump onboard quickly.
The procurator fiscal asked: “Can you remember what you said.”
Mr Maclennan replied: “I will never forget.”
He said the words Stornoway Coastguards three times followed by the name of the boat, Achieve.
Suddenly, during the call, the “boat lurched to starboard” and the sea was coming into the wheelhouse.
He immediately called out “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” on the radio and was forced to leave the sinking vessel as water levels rose and the boat continued to list into the sea.
If he stayed a moment longer, he risked being trapped inside the wheelhouse, he added.
He heard coastguards calling back with the name Accord, the wrong name.
Mr Maclennan said: “I cursed -
The skipper unstrapped the heavy rubber inflatable liferaft which the boat carried though not legally required to do so.
It nearly got slashed by the boat’s propeller after getting snagged in mast rigging but Donald Maclennan kicked it free.
Mr Maclennan said the boat was lying flat on one side “going round and round in circles.
“I could see the propeller turning right beside us.”
He said: “I thought the propeller was going to burst the liferaft.
“I took out my knife and cut the rope.”
A “brief jubilation” when the liferaft was safe turned to serious concern for Norman Macleod who was in the sea some distance away. Mr Macleod was wearing a lifejacket.
Mr Maclennan and crewman Lewis Davidson tried to paddle the liferaft towards him as hard as they could but were beaten by the wind.
Deflating the raft’s canopy helped and eventually they got Mr Macleod onboard.
The three men were winched aboard the Stornoway coastguard helicopter to the Stornoway hospital where Norman Macleod later died after a cardiac arrest.
The inquiry before sheriff David Sutherland is adjourned to December.