Sinking of the pool fisher.

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Capt
I just received this Email from Brian our Admin,and he has asked me to look up this Post,as he is now getting ready to go to London!
I presume that this does concern you and your story/
This person is not a Member as far as we can assertain!
Thank you


My name is John Taylor.

I was the rescue diver that entered the sea to recover Donald Crane and
Mark Fooks approx' 5 hours after the sinking of the Pool Fisher. Due to the
sea conditions I elected to jump from the Helicopter with full diving
equipment on in order to appear behind both survivors. They were holding
onto what looked like wreckage but probably not from the Pool Fisher? There
had been another ship sink a few days earlier approximately 25 miles to the
west, Aeolian Sky (I have probably miss-spelled the name). The Aeolian Sky
produced a considerable amount of flotsam including inflatable life rafts of
which I entered the sea to check inside just before we located Donald and
Mark clinging onto what looked like a 12 foot (approximately) railway
sleeper. I surfaced between both survivors who were both singing Liverpool
football songs. (the roar of the gale was quite considerable, wind speeds
reaching force '10' and a 10m to 12m swell). Both lads were just wearing
underpants and nothing else, the sea temperature was either 11c or 13c?
Hence, a remarkable survival time. Mark was semi-delirious, he appeared to
not really know what was happening, I left Don clinging to the wreckage and
recovered Mark first to the Helicopter, Piloted by the late Bill Sample (a
very good friend who later died in an aircraft crash). Don was taken up
second. We flew both survivors to the Haslar Hospital, Gosport. Both Don
and Mark paid me a visit at the search and rescue squadron at HMS Deadalus
two days later to thank the helicopter crew for their rescue. I hope this
little snippet of info gets to Brian the author of the article. Regards
John Taylor. My email address is jhtcooss@yahoo.co.uk

[Captain Kong]

Thank you so much to Vernon and Brian for sending me this mail from the brave John Taylor, the Heicopter Diver, who rescued Don and Mark, his description is correct, both for the weather conditions , what the lads had told me, they were singing Liverpool football song whilst in the water clinging to wreckage. and the Aolean Sky did sink a couple of days before, losing some containers. Tho` collision with the containers were discounted by the Court of Inquiry.
Thank you much John for writing your side of the rescue, without you they would have surely died.
If you dont mind I would send off a copy to Don in Vancouver and Mark in Romford Essex.
I had a lovely letter from Don`s youngest daughter, Debbie, last week she had just read the story and was in tears at the end of it. Her letter brought a tear to my eyes.
And to John so sorry to hear that your friend, Bill Sample, the Pilot died in a crash. Another brave man.
A sad story indeed.
Sincerely
Brian

[j.sabourn]

Brian, Have just read for a second time your account of the Pool Fisher. I was drawn back to it especially by the way you describe the way the relatives of those who were lost were treated. Also by your dislike of the Admiralty Court which you had to attend. As I had a similar dislike of attending such hearings I can really understand your feelings. It was 8 months before I was called, and those 8 months seemed like 8 years. By Scottish law the police have to submit you with a warrant to attend the Court. I was home on leave when the police car drew up outside and 2 uniformed bobbies got out, I was thinking to myself I wasnt that drunk last night. However it does give you a feeling of guilt straight away. I know people say put it out of your mind, this never happens as will be there with you to eternity. As regards the shipowner, they always try and distant themselves, both monetary and otherwise. Thank you for a very well written article. Best Regards John Sabourn

[j.sabourn]

Ref. Previous for warrant read Summons. Before someone picks up. Was bad description. J.Sabourn

[Mike Hall]

Pool fisher

[Captain Kong]

Hi Alan Oakes,
sorry to hear that your Grandfather was lost in the `POOL FISHER` Disaster. his name is mentioned in evidence by Mark Fooks as he saw him swept into the sea.
Here is the full story of that event...............
Cheers
Brian
.

`POOL FISHER`Disaster.

On the 3rd of November 1979, in Hamburg the cargo ship, POOL FISHER, owned by `James Fisher of Barrow,` completed loading a cargo of Potash, destination Runcorn on the Manchester Ship Canal.
The bulk cargo had been loaded in the two hatches in a pyramid, it was not trimmed level.
On the way out of the dock she hit the quay, stem on quite heavily.
She then sailed across the North Sea, meeting heavy weather all the way and shipping seas over the foredeck. The canvas hatch covers at No. 1 hatch came adrift a couple of times, the sailors having to go out on deck to batten down the canvas and hammer the wedges into the cleats.
Meanwhile I was Second Mate on the tanker, ESSO PENZANCE, we sailed from the Fawley Refinery, on the Solent on the 5th of November 1979, bound up the Channel for Immingham on the Humber.
At 11pm that night I was the Navigator on watch and was 11 miles South of Brighton, my watch keeping AB was Paddy Colgan from Dublin.
The weather was rough, winds of 40 kts from the West and a big heavy sea running.
Ahead of me I saw the lights of a vessel approaching on a reciprocal course, it was swinging to port then to starboard, showing alternative red and green side lights. I called him on the VHF radio, confirmed our identities, and asked him if he had a problem, the Second Mate of the Pool Fisher, replied that he had problems with his steering. I told him to carry on with his course and I would move to the South of him and give him plenty of sea room.
As he got abeam of me, half a mile to the north, he was outlined against the shore lights of Brighton and lit up by a full moon. His fore deck was mostly submerged and his stern was high in the water, I could see his propeller and rudder quite clearly.
I called him back and told him that was why he had problems with his steering, he was well down by the head. He said he was OK and would carry on.
On the morning of the 6th of November, I went on the bridge again at 0745, the Sparky told me he had been up all night on a Mayday call with some ship called `Pool Fisher`, there was a big search for her, the Royal Navy ships co-ordinated by HMS CARDIFF and helicopters were searching for her 25 miles South of the Isle of Wight.
The Sparky said that Niton Radio, on the Isle of Wight, had heard a brief call, saying “This is Pool Fisher, we are going over now,” then silence. This call was not on the Channel 16 VHF, it was on channel 28 so no one would have heard it. No position was given, she could have been anywhere. So the Searchers had no idea of where to search.
I found the time of the Mayday around 0550 and run a course line, time and distance from 11pm when I saw her and that put her around six miles SSW of the Needles on the Isle of Wight. The Mate told me not to get involved, I told Sparky to call Niton Radio and give them the position, he said he couldn’t without the Captain`s permission, Niton was out of range of the VHF phone so I couldn’t do it so I phoned the saloon where the Captain was having breakfast and told him to come up to the bridge.
When he arrived I told him that I knew where the Pool Fisher was, he didn’t want to get involved. I told them, there were men dying in the water call up NOW. The Captain said he would have to call the Office in Fawley for permission to call Niton. This was at 8am. You carry on with your watch and we will sort it out.
A few days later I got hold of a copy of the Journal of Commerce and in the Casualty column it said a report from the Esso Penzance at 0905 gave a new position for the Pool Fisher.. So it had taken an hour for the information to get through.
After receiving the information the search pattern was brought up to the position I gave and they found wreckage and in that were two young lads Mark Fooks, 17, and Don Crane ,18, clinging to hatch boards in seas up to 40 feet high. They were on the point of death with hypothermia, the winch man from the RN helicopter went down and sent them up and took them to Haslar Hospital near Portsmouth, where they were treated, three other bodies, including the Chief Engineer’s wife, were recovered and taken ashore.
We carried on to Immingham, when we arrived at the oil berth it was full of Reporters and TV Camera men. Two big men walked up the gangway, and kept every one else away. They took me to my cabin, they were “Esso Security,” Not your usual Security, These guys could frighten anyone, they were heavies.
I was questioned and then warned not to speak to anyone, “Or else”.
I said “Or else what,”? He replied, “Just or else.” with an icy stare.
These men were dangerous. I don’t even know why.
They did the same to the Captain and Sparky. I never forgot those men.
Also Captain Vale, Surveyor, of the Board of Trade came on board and interviewed me. He took the statement and sketches that I had made of the event. He also examined me for my Masters Ticket the following June.
We did our discharge and then sailed back to Fawley.
When we had moored alongside, two Policemen, Adrian Walder and Sergeant Murray arrived on board and wanted to question me about the events of that night, 5th of November.
I gave them a statement of the events including sketches of the attitude of the Pool Fisher when she passed us, down by the head and that was that.
In February 1980, I was in College at Fleetwood, doing my Masters Ticket, when a man from the Treasury Solicitor turned up at my door and gave me a summons to attend the Inquest on the 13 dead off the Pool Fisher.
I drove down to Gosport and checked into a hotel for a few days,
I met the relatives of the dead, the two lads who survived and had a drink with them in a bar. It was very sad; the widows were telling me that they were summoned to appear at the Coroners Court. They asked for assistance with fares and hotel bills, the wages had been stopped on the day the ship went down nearly three months before. Fishers of Barrow would not give them any assistance and they were really suffering. One widow told me she had to go round to her neighbours and beg for money to pay for her train fare from Birkenhead to Gosport.
At the Inquest, on the 20th of February 1980, I had to stand in the witness box and was sworn in to give evidence of what I saw and about the VHF phone call conversation I had with the late 2nd Mate. Don Crane also confirmed the conversation as he was in the wheel house at the time.
In a Coroner’s Court the Jury is allowed to question the witnesses. Sometimes difficult giving evidence in using nautical terms and they do not understand what they are.
The worst part of it was when the Pathologist gave evidence on what he had done to the three bodies that had been recovered. It was quite gruesome the way he described removing the brain, the lungs, the heart, the liver and kidneys and so on. These were measured, examined and weighed. It was like reading out a shopping list. The widows and the 17 year old son of Mrs Carvill had to listen to all this. It must have been horrifying for them.
When the Court was over, the Jury recorded at the Coroners advice an Open Verdict.
The evidence the two lads gave were as follows.
Don Crane, age 21, of Moreton, Merseyside, said, When they left Hamburg with a cargo of Potash, he thought the ship was down by the head. When he was on watch he took over the steering and the ship was not handling well.
At 4am on the morning of 6th November 1979, the Bosun, Mr Terence Morgan of Wallasey, said, “Get on deck quick, the ship is going down.”.
“Mark Fooks and I dashed up the Alleyway and I found my way out into the sea. I went under and when I surfaced I could see the rear section of the ship sticking up out of the water I swam away and turned and could only see lights below the water.”
He told the Court that he had heard the 2nd Mate talking to the Esso Penzance which was passing in the opposite direction.
Mark Fooks the other survivor told the Court, the Pool Fisher had completely keeled over in the gale force winds. He climbed out onto the side of the vessel where people were trying to coax Mrs Doris Carvill, aged 55, into the sea.
He said he went towards her looking for a life raft. Mrs Carvill panicked, she clung to him, she said “Don’t leave me, don’t leave me, stay with me.”
Mrs Carvill`s body was one of three recovered from the sea. Ten crew men were never found including her husband, Mr Eric Carvill, Chief Engineer.
Mark Fooks then said he was washed overboard into the sea. Amid all the wreckage he found himself clinging to some hatch boards with some other crew members, but slowly as time went on they slid off and disappeared one at a time, probably from hypothermia. Only Mark and Don Crane stayed
afloat clinging to the hatch board.
Commander Doctor Frances Golden, RN, of the Institute of Survival Medicine, said, “The two lads who survived were exceptional, they clung to wreckage for over five hours in gale force winds amongst waves 40 feet high.
It was probably their age and fitness that helped them to survive.
Coroner Mr. Michael Baker, recorded open verdicts on the twelve men and one woman who died in the sinking.
After we came out of Court, the widows and the two lads and I went into a nearby pub, for a well needed drink. It had been a harrowing experience for everyone.
The following day we all went home.
..
In November of that year 1980, I was summoned by The Treasury Solicitor
to appear before the Court of Inquiry, to give evidence, in the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool.
The Court was in session from 24th of November to 9th of December 1980 before Mr G.R.A. Darling, RD, QC, assisted by Captain C.W. Leadbetter, RD, RNR. Ret`d., Captain P J Pembridge and Sq. Ldr. CF Trigg, Msc. [Eng]
Ceng, FI MechE. Into the circumstances attending the loss of the motor vessel POOL FISHER in the English Channel with the loss of 13 lives on 6th November 1979.
The result was,………….
“The Court having carefully inquired into the circumstances attending the above mentioned shipping casualty was probably caused by the entry of water into the fore part of POOL FISHER`s hold following a failure of the aftermost section of the hatch boards on her No 1 hatch, which failure was caused or contributed to by the wrongful act or default of her Master, John Maclaren Stewart and her Mate, Francis William Cooper.”

QUOTE. From the report.
“About 1300 on 3rd November 1979, Pool Fisher sailed from Hamburg with a cargo of 1,250 tons of muriate of potash, in bulk, bound for Runcorn on the Manchester Ship Canal. The weather across the North Sea was force 7 with a gale warning in force. On the morning of the 5th of November the tarpaulin on the after end of No. 1 hatch had to be re-secured.
There could have been some increase in the forward trim with water entering her chain locker and focsle space, through the spurling pipes, or with the cargo settling forward with the pitching, or with water entering the hold when No 1 hatch had to be re-secured. Also some change to the trim by the consumption of fuel and stores.
At 2250 on the night of the 5th of November1979, the tanker, ESSO PENZANCE sighted Pool Fisher about 1 miles south of Brighton. She was steering erratically. That is consistent with the evidence of the survivors as to her steering. At that time the wind was westerly 8 to 9.
At 0547 on 6th of November 1979 Niton Radio received a Mayday call on VHF Channel 28 from POOL FISHER in the following terms;
“Mayday anyone hear me, Mayday going over, position South west of St Catherine`s Point.”
Niton Radio requested a better position but received no rely. The Mayday was immediately relayed on Channel 16 and 2182 kHz.
The watch keepers on the Pool Fisher were the Mate, the Bosun, Terence Morgan and Able Seaman Throup, None of them survived, so it is not possible to find precisely what happened.
The two survivors Don Crane and Mark Fooks were asleep in their cabin when they were woken by the Bosun who was wearing a life jacket and shouted, “Quick lads, get up on deck, she`s going down by the head”.
Both with other members of the crew followed the Bosun, it was very difficult due to the steep list to port. When they reached the cross alleyway on the starboard side, the Bosun shouted “She`s going”. Don Crane was swept into the sea, Mark Fooks who was ahead of Don managed to make his way to the boat deck. He said the Bosun got out as the ship went onto her port beam.
He then saw the Second Engineer, the Chief and Mrs Carvill, all wearing life jackets. He climbed up the starboard side and saw A.B. MacDonald, then he was washed over the side.
Don Crane and Mark Fooks were not wearing life jackets they were fighting for survival in the sea with the help of the hatch boards. The Fleet Air Arm helicopter crews were complimented on their efforts in saving the lives of Don and Mark, there were no other survivors.
The cause of the capsize and sinking of the Pool Fisher was probably caused by the lack of, or insufficient number of locking bars or locking wires on the No 1 hatch, combined with her low free board. When No.1 hatch board were stripped off by the sea, the forward draught was rapidly increased by the rapid entry of water into the hold. The free surface effect of the water caused her to list to port on to her beam ends and to sink by the head.
The Master is responsible for his vessel in all respects and at all times. The Mate is particularly responsible for the battening down of hatches.
The sinking occurred, as we find, the hatches were not battened down properly.
With great reluctance therefore in view of the high esteem in which the Officers concerned were held and because they could not come before the Court to defend themselves, we nevertheless feel bound to find thet they were responsible for the failure, which led to the loss of the Pool Fisher. Although we cannot but be sympathetic to men, whose arduous way of life and demanding schedule of voyages may leave then tired from time to time we do not feel that so fundamental a matter as failure to batten down for sea cannot be excused.
The advice given in M. Notice No.666 remains as valid today , as it always was and just as vital to the safety of life at sea.”

That was taken from the report of the Court.

I was questioned at great detail by the various QC representing the DTI, the Ship owner, the QC representing the Captain and so on.
Some of the questions asked made me feel as if it was all my fault, I had a hard time trying to defend myself against some of the questions, especially from the QC representing the Company, James Fisher and Son.
I had 32 pages full of questions asked over two days. A quite stressful time.


I found the treatment of the bereaved families by James Fisher and Son, the ship owner was severely lacking.
One day I was in the hotel lobby, a young lady walked in and asked me if there was a Court of Inquiry going on here.
I said yes and that I was involved. She told me that her husband had died on the Pool Fisher. No one had informed her that there was an Inquiry.
She had read about it in the newspaper and had travelled to Blackpool from Bangor in North Wales to see what was happening as she could not get any information from anyone.
I took her in the bar to sit down and she told me her story.
When the ship went down the pay was stopped that day. She still had not received the wages he had earned before he had died. They had received Nothing.
She and her husband were buying a three bed roomed house overlooking the Menai Straits in North Wales. Now she could not pay the mortgage and so was evicted from her home, she had just given birth to her third baby just after the ship went down. They were dumped into a two bed Council flat.
Then three weeks ago, on the anniversary of the disaster, 6th of November 1980, her husbands Mother had taken a train down to Bournemouth, which overlooks the site of the sinking and then walked into the sea and was drowned. I was nearly in tears listening to her story, so sad.
I then took her to the Restaurant, I was on expenses paid for by the Treasury Solicitor, I ordered an expensive wine and the best dinner for two, which we both enjoyed, a lovely lady who did not deserve the treatment off the ship owner and other authorities. Even though I was confined to the Hotel for the duration, I put her in my car and drove her to Preston rail station to get her train to Bangor. It was the least I could do for her.
The AB on watch with me on the Esso Penzance, Paddy Colgan was flown over from Dublin to give evidence. It was good to see him again as we were good mates at the time, a very funny man always laughing. He was now a taxi driver in Dublin.
He made the Court laugh when Mr Darling asked him if the Pool Fisher was on a reciprocal course to our ship. He replied, “I don’t know about that Sor, but we wuz goin` one way and she was goin` the other”.
The two lads, Don and Mark, were also good company in the evenings, we would meet up in the bar, Mark had his mother with him, and they all had a good sense of humour.
I got to know Mark and Don quite well during that time, They both thanked me for informing Niton Radio of their position as the search was concentrated 25 miles away and they would have surely died if the search had not been brought up to their position.
Mark was also lucky on another occasion, after the sinking of the Pool Fisher, he went to the Shipping Pool in Liverpool and told them he wanted a Big Ship as the small ones sank under him.
They gave him a job on a 150, 000 ton bulk carrier by the name of `DERBYSHIRE`, he flew out to Yokohama in Japan to await her arrival. She did not arrive, she went down in a typhoon with all hands, 44 people died. After a week in a hotel there Mark was flown home again.

At the end of the Inquiry, many people had various misgivings about the verdict.
In many discussions afterwards, various theories were discussed.
Such as the water may have entered the hold from another way rather than through the hatch cover. She did hit the quay wall heavily in Hamburg and in a previous incident during 1979 had sprung the rivets, in No.1 hold, this being welded up at the time.
When she sailed she had a freeboard of only 1.7 feet on the forward well deck.
Some of the securing cleats were defective and this could be the cause of the wedges being forced out by the weather. Not all the required number of locking bars or wires were fitted to the hatch. Were there enough of these on board?

Don Crane had said he thought the ship was down by the head when she sailed from Hamburg, she was definitely down by the head when I saw her seven hours before she capsized.

There was a telephone call from the Master to the Company the day before she sank. The Coroner asked the Managing Director of James Fisher & Son,
If they kept records of all the phone calls from their Ship Masters, he replied `Yes`. The Coroner then asked him if he had a record of this phone call. The Managing Director, replied `No`.
So there was speculation among some people, What if the Captain had said he had problems with the ship and could he call into another port for shelter while they sorted out their problems with the trim or hatch covers and the Ship owner said `No, get to Runcorn as soon as possible.` He would therefore carry on and then capsize. ????
But this is only guessing and therefore cannot be used in a sensible argument.
Today the POOL FISHER lies in 40 metres of water, upside down with her bows broken off and standing on end. 6.7 miles SSW of St. Catherines Point.


SHIPS AND HARBOURS.COM
I have taken the liberty of copying the following from “SHIPS AND HARBOURS.COM” I have tried to contact them but to no avail. I do hope they do not mind me quoting from their excellent site.

QUOTE……..

Pool Fisher Cargo Vessel

Unfortunately I've not been able to find out much in certainty about the Pool Fisher itself.
I did find some reference to a Coaster Pool Fisher (I assume it is this ship):
Pool Fisher was a coaster built for James Fisher of Barrow-in-Furness at Foxhol, Netherlands in 1959, Her tonnages were 1028grt , 1372dwt. While on a voyage from Hamburg to Runcorn she capsized and sank on the 6th November 1979 off St Catharine's Point, Isle of Wight. There were only two survivors out of the fifteen on board. She was a familar sight on the Irish Sea container services and I remember her sailing out of Larne to Preston.
Picture Added on 09 November 2006.


Comments
I was a witness at the Pool Fisher Inquest in Gosport and at the Court of Enquiry, in Blackpool, November 1980. I spoke, on VHF, to the Second Mate just before she capsised. I was on watch on the Esso Penzance as we passed each other south of Brighton, just before midnight.
Added by Brian Aspinall on 01 December 2006


.
I was Chief Mate on her up to about 1 year before the sinking. I knew the C/E (Eric Carvill & his wife) very well.
The ship was badly load in North Holland, with potash. Observers stated she was by the head when she sailed. These ships always had to be kept well by the stern, due to the well deck forward, the wooden hatchcovers.
It seems she was driven heavily into the weather, the seas broke through into the hold (there was only one) & the potash turned to slurry, giving huge free-surface moments, & she capsised & sank. A classic case of incompetance, I think.
Very unfortunate for the poor crew.
Added by Capt Ivor on 12 April 2007.


I was the Police Officer who dealt with the incident. After our initial call from Coastguard, two young survivors, male members of crew, where airlifted by Search & Rescue helicopter to the Royal Naval Hospital at Gosport. Initial information was sketchy. We had no ideas of numbers of casulties. Sadly 13 people died, including Mrs Carvil mentioned above. Not all the bodies were recovered. It was a very difficult incident to deal with, given the location of the sinking (on the far side of the Isle of Wight), and the fact the ship came from Liverpool.
I recall the incident vividly. An expert later stated that no-one would have lasted long in the sea, given that it was winter. The fact that the two young men did survive was down to their ages, and fitness.
A terribly sad incident, the like of which, thank goodness I did not experience again before my retirement two years ago.
Added by Adrian Walder on 13 July 2007.


I met Adrian Walder, with Sergeant Murray onboard the Esso Penzance in Fawley after the sinking when I gave a statement of my version of the events and again at the inquest in Gosport. A very harrowing time. Especially meeting the widows and families. I think Mr and Mrs Carvill`s young son had to attend the inquest and that really must have been awful for him as the Pathologist described the medical side of it.
I still have the transcripts of the Court of Inquiry in Blackpool in 1980
She was indeed down by the head, the stern, rudder and screw was more out of the water than in, the fore deck was virtually submerged and she was steering very erratically, this prompted me to call her on VHS. The Second Mate told me they would be OK. The weather was westerly force 9 at the time and she was heading into to it shipping green seas over the foredeck. Seas were estimated to be up to 40 feet in height.
Six miles SSW of St Catherines Point, I o W she capsized, without giving a position to Niton Radio. The search pattern was concentrated 25 miles further south, when I heard about it at 8 am next morning Niton Radio was informed and the search was bought up to her position and the two young lads, Mark Fookes, aged 17, and Donald Crane aged 21, were rescued by Helicopter and taken to Haslar, They were suffering from severe Hypothermia and were close to death. They told me there were four of them clinging to hatch boards and one by one they slipped off and disapeared. They were in the sea for over five hours. Commander Dr. Frances Golden of the Institute of Survival Medicine said they were exceptional to have survived for so long.
The Coroner, Mr Michael Baker, brought in an Open Verdict.
Pool Fisher had loaded 1250 tons of Potash in Hamburg for Runcorn, The Potash was loaded in a piramid shape in Number 1 hatch and when she took in water this turned to slurry and then capsized taking the ship over. The finding of the Court of Inquiry was a hatch failure, it was not battened down properly, i.e. not sufficient locking bars on the hatch and then with the heavy seas allowed water to enter the hold. The canvas had come adrift during the passage according to the two surviving lads and had been battened down again.
Mr Gerald Darling, Wreck Commissioner, said the failure of the hatch was the responsibility of the Master, John Stewart and the Mate Frank Cooper.
She sank with the loss of 13 lives and ten bodies were never recovered.
It was one of the worst incidents I experienced in 45 years of seafaring.
Added by Brian Aspinall, Retired Master on 18 July 2007.


My brother Mark Fook survived this terrible disaster, it affected him and our family greatly. I can still remember that terrible time and the hours of waiting not knowing if he was alive, and the dreadful toll it took on my mum & dad, it was to be his 18th birthday on the 15th November and we were all praying that he'd come home for it, thank goodness he did. He went back to sea briefly but didn't have the heart for it. About 10 years or so ago he learnt how to scuba dive and went back to the place were the Pool Fisher went down, he wanted to pay his respects to his fellow crew members who sadly did not survive, I was very proud of him for doing that, it took a lot of courage. Don didn't go back to sea and emigrated to Canada to start a new life, I believe he is happily married. Our Mark married Jane and now has 4 children, 3 boys and a little girl, ages 16-7, he is content but I don't think he has ever got over the sinking of the Pool Fisher, well you wouldn't would you, you just learn to live with it. He told us that the only thing that kept him and Don going was football rivalry and singing 'footy' songs especially as he was a Liverpool fan and Don a dreaded Blue (Everton!), we nearly lost him though, if the rescue crew had been another 10 minutes we would have, he was that close to death. I just want to express my deepest sympathy for the 13 crew members that lost their lives and their families and say a heartfelt thank you to all that took part in saving my brothers life that day.
Added by Jackie Christensen on 11 August 2007.


Hi Jackie,
I met Mark at the inquest in February, I think it was in 1980, and he was still in a state of shock. Later I met him again when we had to stay in the Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool, for about two weeks, in November 1980 for the Court of Inquiry. I got to know Mark and Don quite well during that time, They both thanked me for informing Niton Radio of their position as the search was concentrated 25 miles away and they would have surely died if the search had not been brought up to their position.
Mark was also lucky on another occasion, after the sinking of the Pool Fisher, he went to the Shipping Pool in Liverpool and told them he wanted a Big Ship as the small ones sank under him.
They gave him a job on a 150, 000 ton bulk carrier by the name of `DERBYSHIRE`, he flew out to Yokohama in Japan to await her arrival. She did not arrive, she went down in a typhoon with all hands, 44 people died. After a week in a hotel there Mark was flown home again.
In the Hotel in Blackpool while we gave evidence, I got to know both Mark and Don quite well, Mark was a very funny lad, good sense of humour, and had me laughing while we had a pint together. He had a habit of swearing quite a lot and your Mother who was there, used to shout at him for it. He made the Court laugh whilst giving evidence when he happened to swear, Mr Darling the Wreck Commissioner said " Do you mind not swearing Mr Fooks" and Mark replied " I cant ******* help it, I`m always ******* swearing". So a laugh went around the court, one of the lighter moments.
But during his description of the events, and when he was trying to help Mrs Carver it was so sad I was choked up listening to him, I was almost in tears.
He seemed to be such a small lad who should not have had such a terrible experience.
Also he did say he and Don were singing football songs while they were in the sea.
It is good to find out what he has done and how he is after all these years, I have always wondered what he has been doing and I have often talked about him
Please give him my best regards,
All the best Jackie.
Cheers.
Brian Aspinall.
Added by Brian Aspinall, Retired Master on 12 August 2007.


Hi Brian
Thanks for your reply, it's nice to hear from you. I'm going to send this link to Mark, hopefully he'll add something to the site. Thanks for taking such care of him and for your kind comments.
Kind regards, Jackie
Added by Jackie Christensen on 13 August 2007.

[James Slattery]

hi brian you can reach me at donaldcrane84@hotmail.com or don@alliancepainting.ca

Hello, My name is Jim and I have finally got the courage to write a message. My father Patrick Slattery was lost on the Ardgarry I'm sure that you may have heard the story from my brother Patrick. I am sad when I hear the stories but I feel that I need to know everything about these disasters, so that I can understand.
When I was a boy of eleven/twelve my dad would often take me on board his ship which sailed from Belfast to Hysham. He was the cook and I helped in the gally, served the crew, peeled the spuds. I loved every minute, exploring the engine room, walking the deck and feeling the wind and sea spray hitting my face. I wanted to be a seaman. My dad died when I was thirteen and it was not to be. Instead I followed in his other footsteps riding motor bikes.

[j.sabourn]

James most seamen have at sometime or other had a close encounter with death and have seen others die in various ways whether it be in a disaster, medically, or just a plain accident. One does as one gets older accept such whereas when younger is a big trauma in ones life. Your father died as many before him and probably many still to happen, as assume he was taken by the sea. The sea is a vocation which many would not do, not because they are afraid, but as the life is not for them. Think of your father as he was and doing what he wanted, which I assume he enjoyed doing. I have recollections of at least 4 people who I was close to who died at various times on other ships, no doubt there would be more if I cast my mind back, each one was a tragedy in itself. I still keep in contact with the last ones family even though it was 27 years ago. Your father would no doubt not want you to grieve over him all the time and you owe it to him to live your life the way you enjoy best. Regards JS

[j.sabourn]

Further to the above I don't know if your family received any compensation for your loss, what makes me mad is when you see some director of some big firm walking away with literally millions to carry on with his elaborate life style this also applies to politicians, and yet the soldiers sailors and airmen who gave their lives and sometimes limbs to fulfil these parasites dreams of a good life are mostly treated like second class citizens. My friend who was drowned in 1988 his family received a grand total of 30,000 pound, not much for a life, and have no doubt if he hadn't been a member of Numast his family would have received nothing. I hope your father was fortuanate enough to at least receive something for his family. You will see if you insist in following up the stories of sea going casualities that merchant seamen especially were never treated in proportion to what they achieved especially in wartime, they were used and forgotten about by the general public and politicians alike. Regards JS

[Barry Price]

Very informative but if he was out of work on Nov 6th and then flew out to Japan for the Derbyshire which was September, was. the Derbyshire his next ship, or did he go elsewhere. I look forward to someones reply on this.
Many thanks, Barry.